Eulalie A Song
by Joon and Poe
Summary: COMPLETE! Sequel to Hymn. AU, Yaoi, Yuri. The Secrets of the Ruby Eyes Revealed
1. The Valley of Unrest

Eulalie- A Song  
by Nataku  
  


((With the moon-tints of purple and pearl,))  
  


I  
The Valley of Unrest  
  
  
Helpless. This solemn and venerable word seemed the only one to describe the squall of feelings and tattered memories within her. Every fragmented recollection- every cruel voice and harsh eye was remembered, and not. She swam through her own mind as though in foreign seas. Names and faces she could not quite place assaulted her nightly, telling her she was nothing, that she was weak and tearing into her flesh just to hear her desperate screams and pleas. Promising to hurt until she no longer cried out- until she no longer felt anything at all. No emotion, no pain, compassion or love. Groomed for blood, raised for the kill- she battled like a soulless doll, like a shell of the girl she never had the chance to be.  
  
Her earliest, and clearest memories were of her father's death- though she had forgotten him completely. She could still see the look in her grandfather's eyes when he broke the news, she could hear her own anguished sobs- and she never cried again. After the tears, after the scolding for indulging in such a weakness, remembrance began to blur. She seemed those days to watch her own movements from somewhere outside of her body. She watched the world from behind dirty panes of glass, erected to shield her fragile heart from the wrong being cast onto sun-starved skin and a mind beyond the point of breaking.  
  
Her father had died valiantly, blaze and glory- honor and blood. He died a soldier's death, as had so many faceless men before him. Then it was her turn to suffer the fate of such a man. They forced upon her fencing foils, made her defend her tender skin from the deep and unforgiving cuts they bestowed. They drown her in the histories of battles long ago, and strategies that never fail. They burned into her a lust quenched only by the blood of fearless and noble fighters. Never a kind word- never a move to soothe. They were demons, hidden from her mind's eye by shadows and lashings her flesh could never forget. Their faces remained a mystery even within her nightmares.  
  


((I dwelt alone in a world of moan,))  
  


It was his fault- her only family, her only enemy. He cast her to the wolves for the good of his position. He molded her into his own sick and blood-bathed toy. A puppet to control, a beautiful girl to send into the beds of his own insignificant enemies. A girl with seductive cold eyes and a sheathed power- a strength that crushed each bedfellow after the desired information was attained. He sacrificed his small helpless granddaughter to the life a monster, of his own personal assassin. And all the while she hid inside herself, waiting to wake from this nightmare which had become her pathetic reality in so many ways.  
  
He had the kindness, the purity beaten out of her. All she knew now was the pleasure of the kill, thrill of the hunt- the ecstasy of war, he made sure of that long ago. And now- in his absence, that frightened small girl in the corners of her soul was too timid, too long locked away, too forgotten to re-inhabit her old shell. Her face was set in a strong and emotionless masque, her limbs trained too seek and destroy, her movements precise and never faltering. She was War- the embodiment of each soldier's last breath. The perfect killer, the ultimate in machines of death. She was a bleeding crying little girl- too afraid to break with the only life she had ever known- too bantam to break with her demon; her death.  
  


~o00o~  
  


Time takes to the wings of doves when one is in love. Minutes, hours, days- all dance by unnoticed by the free and alive. Time it seems is a mystery within itself, crawling like a wounded earthbound bird when hurt and sorrow play- twirling in unholy haste when one tries to savor the smallest of moments- and standing completely still when death claims another tortured soul. The world was always changing as the hands of the clock bent to kiss the ground, turning beautiful forests to barren waste lands, and lifeless deserts to lush fields of radiant flowers.  
  
Time passed much in this manner since the beginning of it all, killing when so desiring, breathing new life across the old, always changing and dancing, singing its soft un-heard lullaby into the winds. The greatest mystery- greater even than death, is life.  
  
She turned into the rain, the cold heavy drops stinging her big indigo eyes and penetrating her matted dirty fur, once the sweet color of honey. Her tiny legs ached as she pushed them forward, commanding her tired limbs step after step, though her destination seemed ages away in the bitter storm.   
  
It was Christmas Eve. The tiny city was alive with lights and the soft sounds of carolers. Children laughed and played excitedly, shielded by brightly colored umbrellas and the protective arms of their parents as they strolled along the wet winter struck sidewalks on their way to family gatherings and Christmas mass. Vast decorated evergreens adorned every corner and window of the small city. Everyone seemed so carefree, so wondrously alive.  
  
When she came upon the snow dappled park, so cozy and welcoming, she felt as though her legs might give up and drop her- refusing to carry her another step. Limping, cold and hungry she pulled herself down the narrow cobble stone path and into the shelter of an old sakura tree. Her quiet whimpering- still such an unfamiliar sound to her own ears, filled the air around her and disappeared into the shrieking wind. Curling into a tiny ball as close to the majestic sakura's trunk as possible she closed those big blue eyes, frightened and alone, yet hopeful, and strangely comforted by the song of the raging December storm.   
  
She drifted through dreamless and uneasy sleep- afraid to lower her guard enough to truly rest. Every noise, every stray footstep startled her into a defensive stance. Though in present form, intimidating is the last word one might use to describe her. She waited- hidden in the shadows of the old tree, awaiting the dawn at the end of this tempest. Time passed slowly for her now- agonizingly so. She watched the lights of the city fade as the lateness of the night was realized and children were tucked into warm soft beds and bid a loving good night. She settled into this quiet darkness with nothing but hope to keep her from surrendering to the cold like wounded prey.  
  
As the first hints of morning crept across the skies she felt a sudden nervousness- the butterflies in her stomach seemed intent of flying through her entire body. She could not help but fear he may not recognize her, could she blame him? This had not been what she had in mind either.  
  
She was torn from the silent battle of her doubts as a familiar voice broke the stillness of the morning air.  
  
I- I love it. I love you, Heero.  
  
With her limbs slightly rested, and strength somewhat renewed, she pulled her tiny body into a low branch of the sakura- staining her eyes to find the owner of that rich voice. A tiny smile played on her thin lips as she found what she had been seeking, tangled in a passionate kiss with the man of his dreams.  
  
_This is it_, she told herself. _it's now or never._ With renewed courage, she made her way cautiously down the trunk of the sakura and through the cold snow, stopping mere feet away from perhaps the most important event of this new life.  
  


~o00o~  
  


Love had to be the most addictive and wonderful drug Duo decided as he broke the kiss his entire being ached to dive into once more. He wrapped his arms around Heero, burying his face against the hollow of his neck as whispering I love you, over and over into his warm skin. He never wanted to let go- he could have stayed there forever, ignoring the cold, nearly forgetting to breath as he lost himself in this embrace, willing time to stand still only for them.  
  
  
  
He closed his eyes tightly, blocking out the world, reveling in the warmth of Heero's body so close to his own- content to simply feel those strong arms around him, keeping him safe. He never wanted to move again if it meant he would have to leave the comfort and love of this embrace.  
  
  
  
It was not until tiny needle sharp teeth nipped and pulled at the leg of his pants that Duo reluctantly opened his eyes, greeted by the sight of a tiny kitten, impatiently tugging at him. Big indigo eyes pleaded without words. He untangled himself from Heero and knelt in the snow beside the mussed kitty.  
  
Hey there, he said in a soft gentle tone as he reached to run a hand over the dirty fur of the desolate creature. As the kitten leaned to encourage the pampering he scooped it up into his arms, sharing the warmth of his coat with the small shivering cat.  
  
  
  
He jumped to his feet, dropping the kitten back into the frigid snow. Heero looked at him with a concerned and somewhat puzzled expression, the cat looked insulted, and Duo- he looked as though he had seen a ghost.  
  
  
  
Did you. . . he glanced from the peeved kitten to Heero and back to the cat, utter confusion playing across his violet eyes.  
  
_He can't hear me,_ said the little voice again- a strangely familiar voice. _Duo, it's me-_  
  
_Relena?_ his mind asked silently. Catching the look on Heero's face he was immensely glad he had not spoken aloud. If he was thinking himself crazy, who knew what Heero would think. He forced a smile, trying to regain at least some of his illusive composure.  
  
Never mind, he said with a small uneasy laugh. I'm fine, just. . . he racked his brain for an excuse that might pry those puzzled eyes off him for a moment so he might try and think rationally about what had just happened. . . .bit me. Um, the cat bit me. Trying to sound convincing and avoid the glare from the small honey-blond kitten, he smiled again, hoping Heero would not inquire further into the matter.  
  
he said after a short uncomfortable silence. are you all right?  
  
said Duo, a little too quickly. Fighting off another awkward silence he added; it looks hungry, and it's freezin' out here, do you think we could bring 'er home with us? he wore his best puppy-dog eyes and hoped Heero was not allergic to cats. After a fleeting moment of doubt, Heero nodded.  
  
Anything you want, he said, picking the kitten up in one hand and intertwining the other with Duo's. lets go home.  
  


~o00o~  
  


The short distance between Maxwell Park and their current safe house seemed to triple in length as Duo commanded his feet forward, clutching Heero's hand and casting side long glances at the small yellow kitty. Thousands of fragmented thoughts whirled about in his mind. Although having mentally prepared himself for the chance that Relena might come back he never expected it to come so soon, and like this. Stealing another quick look, Duo sighed inwardly and decided it best to at least try and relax. He would need more than patience to deal with all of this.  
  
As soon as he found himself back within the secure hold of the small house, and Heero had disappeared into the kitchen, Duo knelt, leveling his eyes with that of the Relena cat.  
  
she offered timidly as words failed him miserably.  
  
It's really you in there? he asked, not completely trusting his own senses. How- why. . . he closed his eyes, trying to gather what he could of his bouncing thoughts. You're a cat, he then said plainly, gesturing towards her big ears and swaying tail.  
  
_Well, that's stating the obvious,_ said the kitten sarcastically.   
  
he partially covered his right eye and forehead with his hand. you're a cat, he said again, this time in a confused whisper.  
  
said Relena, feeling more than slightly frustrated. _Duo, this isn't what I was expecting either- but you take what you can get, ne?_  
  
Duo made a quiet groaning sound and covered his other eye. This is too weird, he said, more to himself than to the tiny cat. Can we start over? he asked, rubbing at his temples.   
  
_If that'll make it easier_, said Relena thoughtfully.  
  
Duo opened his eyes, making sure he and the cat were still alone in the room. let's start with what I should call you, Heero's gonna think I've lost it if I walk around talking to you like you're Relena- not that you aren't but, well- you know.  
  
_What do you suggest?_ she asked, somewhat uneasy.  
  
You need a new name, got anything in mind?  
  
She sat back on her hind legs, seeming to contemplate the matter. Shrugging, or what could be called shrugging for a cat, she looked down, obviously clueless as to what an appropriate name for a dead princess in a kitten's body might be.  
  
What about. . . Duo glanced around the room, hoping something might jump out at him and present itself as the perfect name for the small kitten. Catching sight of Quatre's open sketch book on the coffee table he lifted the kitty into his hands. I've got it, he proclaimed happily.   
  
  
  
He set her down on the table beside the sketch Quatre had been working on before he had been called away on a mission. On the page, a young girl sat on a carved swing suspended from an old majestic tree, her long wavy hair was caught in a playful breeze and the tree's sinuous branches cast delicate shadows across her somber features. Partially hidden by the wind tousled blossoms, a bantam winged creature with crimson hair and skin of the truest ivory with the slightest touch of jade watched the girl, seeming to silently offer her a comfort and translucent hope.  
  
Quatre said Mab was the queen of the fairies, that's her there behind the plum blossoms, he said, tracing over the delicately sketched fairy with his fingertips. she was said to have looked over maidens, ruled her kingdom with grace and compassion, and cast beautiful dreams when lovers slumber.  
  
Relena looked up at him with wide smiling eyes.   
  
Who are you talking to?  
  
Duo jumped slightly as Heero's voice reached his ears. Turning to face him he smiled an embarrassed sort of smile. Relena mewed softly and leapt off the low table as Heero lied a bowl of cream on the floor beside where Duo sat, leaning against the arm of a soft rose-colored chair.  
  
I was just trying to pick a name for the kitten, he said sheepishly.  
  
Did you find one? Heero asked as he sat himself in the chair against which Duo was leaning, pausing momentarily to run his fingers through Duo's bangs and plant a soft kiss on his forehead.  
  
Yeah, I think I did, he tilted his head back so he could see Heero's brilliant blue eyes. I'm going to call her Mab.  
  


~o00o~  
  


Curiosity it seems, it the cat's trait. She saw with new eyes, eyes that missed nothing- no movement, no shadow went undetected. In the back of her mind was what seemed to be limitless reserves of energy, but trying simply to stifle an urge to run in vast circles for hours on end made her want to nap in the sun cast by opened windows. Unfortunately the bounce in her step was not as fathomless as it sometimes felt. Nearly a fortnight had passed since she woke on the cold streets of some cold nameless city. Nearly two weeks since she had found herself hungry, alone, and wearing the skins of a small fury kitten. But curiosity it seems, was not the least of her problems.  
  
Hope. When night's frigid lips and the predators eyes bore into her there was always hope. And in the end, faith had rewarded her miraculously. She slumbered now, nestled within the warm embrace of he whom she had been searching for. She slept content, curled against the only friend she had ever known. The only person who knew her completely. Her kindred spirit. Hope now, was within her, _perfect_.  
  
Maxwell, what in the name of Nataku is that?  
  
Duo cocked his head slightly, greeted by the sight of a slightly baffled Wufei, and his outstretched finger. Though it took his euphorically diluted mind several seconds, Duo realized jusice-boy's accusing finger was pointed straight at the dreaming kitten on his lap. said Duo in a slow sort of caught red handed' voice reserved for children spotted with tiny hands in forbidden cookie jars. Merry Christmas? he offered quietly with a hopeful smile, and light kind of anxiety mirrored in his pleading violet eyes.  
  
And how may I ask is the God of Death going to look after a kitten? You can't exactly bring it with you in your Gundam. Wufei crossed his arms over his chest, still staring quizzically at the tiny puff of golden fur. I guarantee you this cat is a bigger responsibility than you think.  
  
I can handle it, Fei. Duo assured him with one of those intoxicating smiles he saved for when he found himself playing the part of the cornered doe. Trust me.  
  
After the arching of a sleek black eyebrow, and a mumbled sort of speech on justice and responsibility, Wufei turned gracefully and with light steps entered the kitchen. He realized coffee was quickly becoming his drug of choice and caffeine was exactly what he needed at this point in time. Shaking his head, he found himself almost plowing directly into Heero who carried two mugs of steaming hot cocoa.  
  
he said quickly, mentally kicking himself for not watching where he had been going. _Maxwell and his pets_,' his inner voice sighed. _they will surly be the death of me_.'  
  


~o00o~  
  


Why do you not leave me?  
  
I promised you my everything. My word is my bond, I will not abandon you- not like this. Not ever.  
  
Is that the thing called love?  
  
Dorothy did not turn her eyes from the glossy snow kissed pane of the long gothic window. Nail-blue eyes traced over the reflection caught in the thin glass like an old photograph. Secret lips, forgotten skin, and unfamiliar eyes, stared back at her as though worlds apart. When had she become a stranger to her very self?  
  


((And my soul was a stagnant tide,))  


  
You should rest, I'll be in the garden if you need me.  
  
I always need you, koneko. Bast's ruby eyes were lidded, hidden from all the world. Hiding from their own humanity.  
  
I'll come back in a few hours. With that said, and without awaiting a reply, Dorothy slid quietly from the vast sun dappled room and turned hesitantly towards the beautiful gardens of a place she longed to call home. But *_home*_ was as foreign to her as those placid lifeless eyes starring back at her through every mirror.  
  
Lacking the usual weight of her thick winter cloak, Dorothy stepped passed the threshold and into the snow covered folds of the magnificent garden. Even beneath the snow, beauty twirled and sang through every frosted bloom and chilled vine. This beauty seemed almost tangible- so pure and resounding in even the air. Had Dorothy the perfect christmas gift it would have undoubtedly been this dancing herbal beauty.  
  
Is that the thing called love? she asked the falling snow. Is a monster like me capable of loving even another monster?  
  


~o00o~  
  


She could not take it any longer. Succumbing to this new kitty-cat weakness, surrendering herself to the most potent on inner demons, Relena gave into this curiosity. She found herself startling the sudden urge to explore, after all, if this was to be her home she should at least know her way around.  
  
Waiting until Duo had risen to accept a mug of hot cocoa from Heero, Relena leapt silently off the couch and padded with her newly attained kitten stealth from the living room and into the tiny kitchen. The kitchen, small, drab, and utterly disappointing did not hold her interests long and so, she found herself pussy-footing through a wide sparsely decorated hall and up lush carpeted stairs.  
  
Though plain, and somewhat small, the house radiated a certain sense of comfort and warmth. Long windows lined each wall, filling this tiny home with a light so pure and true. Oh, how she had missed the sun.  
  
Reaching the top of the stairs, she noticed the closest door stood partially open, and to a cat, and open door is as good as an invitation. Stepping lightly- cautiously, she peered into the bright room. There was a large bed, fashioned in crimson and ivory with an elegant frame of mahogany beside which leaned a slightly tattered violin case. She noted the open laptop and scattered pile of half finished sketches on the desk, and finally settled her sights on the tall lean boy sitting motionless upon the cushioned window seat.  
  
Had it not been for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and the quiet sounds made by every breath one might have thought him dead. His body tense, and no movements made, Trowa simply stared past the misted window's pane. He watched the snow and the sun with glossy disinterested eyes- merely waiting. Just waiting.  
  
With an exuberant mew and quick swish of her tail, Relena pounced from the chilly floor and into the lap of the somber pilot. Though a slight confusion played in his eyes, Trowa made no conscious startled reaction.  
  
Where did you come from? he asked her softly as he reached to scratch beneath her chin- an action which earned him an immediate purr. His touch was strong, yet soothing and gentle. Years of battle had yet to chase the comfort from his warm finger tips. With a quiet sigh, he turned back to his vigil- still absently stroking the small cat.  
  
_What are you looking for?_ she asked, forgetting he could not hear her. She tried in vain to follow the direction of his glance but continually came up empty handed. She perceived him to be waiting, though for what, she did not know.  
  
He promised he would be back for christmas, Trowa whispered as though speaking to himself. He never breaks a promise. His eyes wore veils of sorrow, lifted only by the faint glimmer of hope in the depths of his nebulous emerald orbs. Within the quickened pitter patter of her tiny heart Relena at once recognized the longing and loneliness of eyes like that. She wanted to comfort him, assure him that this promise would not be broken. In her current state she could do little more than offer a rosy purr and nuzzle softly against his unmoving skin.  
  
She found herself unable to contain her own excitement as a golden haired youth emerged from an old yellow taxi mere feet from the small house. Pausing only to catch the look of sheer joy and love in Trowa's dark eyes, she bounded towards the door with the usually stoic pilot only a step behind. After nearly tripping over her own small feet and slipping twice on the sleek wooden floors Relena was mewing frantically at the dead wood of the front door. Scratching nosily at the splintered frame she urged Trowa outside with silent eyes. Trowa did not have to be nudged twice.  
  
Before Quatre could even reach for the knob, he found the door flying open and himself moments later- lying flat in the snow with an all too familiar weight on top of him.  
  
I missed you too, Trowa. He managed few words between kisses, but words were not really that important.  
  
Relena sat several inches behind the threshold, wearing what could be identified as an exceedingly pleased smile. She had somehow always found her greatest happiness within that of others. She supposed giving was more enjoyable than receiving after all. Watching Trowa- Mr. Silence himself smother his koi in kisses and speak rather senselessly about how much he had missed him made her feel more than warm inside. She felt happy- for the second time this day she felt such powerful emotions in a way so many took for granted.  
  
There you are!   
  
She turned apologetic eyes to Duo where he stood several feet behind her. His arms were crossed in somewhat of a playful yet honest sort of scolding. She felt a lecture about wandering off and scaring him half to death coming on, but none did. He scooped her up in his arms and turned back towards the living room.  
  
I think we should give them some privacy, he said, gesturing half-heartedly to the lovers in the snow. Sides, we've got to get you cleaned up. no offense ojosan, but you're a mess.  
  
_None taken_, she said rolling her big eyes, still cradled in his arms.   
  
You can't exactly take a shower, he continued. what do I do, run a bath and just plop you in? gagging her reaction, he though perhaps that had not been what she had in mind. The sink? he asked sheepishly, worried she might scratch him at another naive question.  
  
_I suppose that'll work_, she said, not able to hide a slight anxiety. _to tell the truth,_ _I haven't really thought about it._  
  


~o00o~  
  


After a not so successful cat bath in which Relena discovered how little she really liked water, and Duo found out just how lethal those claws were, they had settled before the fire, Relena to dry- and Duo to tend his own little wounds. Heero was sprawled out on the couch, flipping through his present from Duo, a complete book of Poe's works, set in parchment and a gold engraved crimson cover. Quite a handsome novel if he did say so himself.  
  
Both Relena and Duo had opted for silence while Heero lie simply an arms reach away. But the quiet was comfortable, not awkward as most silences were. There was a certain feeling of warmth, and home in the air of the tiny house. For the first time in his life, Duo truly felt at home. With Relena, Heero and the other pilots, home was not such a foreign thing.  
  


((Till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride-))  


  
He had never imagined home this way- sitting by the fire side with a cat who happened to be the queen of the world, while the love of his life read silently on a near by couch- his closest friends in an all too small kitchen, struggling to prepare a traditional christmas dinner, though for the multicultural group, that meant oh so many things. But there he was, with a reincarnated princess and his silent koi- feeling safe, secure, and happy beyond compare within the walls of his very own home.  
  


~o00o~  
  


The sun had set, and the moon risen valiantly before Dorothy retreated from her snowy heaven- her rose scented sanctuary. With the moon tints playing on her skin and twirling within the strands of her pale golden hair, with the cold winter's kiss on her frigid lips, Dorothy, though ignorant of the cold and hurt, returned to the warmth of her lover's bedside. She would rather have taken on the Perfect Soldier, and his companion, Death, blindfolded than face those scarlet eyes tonight. A thing called love? Love did not exist- not for a girl like her. Dorothy Catalonia was not capable of such emotions. There was the kill, the dance of predator and prey. There was the blood, and the soldiers. The thing called love was not welcomed within her hollow heart.  
  
Every step, every glance towards the thick intimidating door of Bast's chamber was one Dorothy wished had been in some other direction. Though fear was irrational, and hesitation unexceptable, she found she was unwilling and yes, afraid to cross the threshold. What had Bast been to her? If not merely a passage to war and welcomed bedfellow- what had this ruby-eyed creature been? Was it in fact, the thing called love?


	2. Haunted Palace

II  
Haunted Palace  
  
  
Her first night- whether from pure exhaustion or nostalgia, she knew not- was spent fondly dreaming away, curled against the crook of Duo's neck. Never had she known such wonderful slumber, such beautiful dreams. Tucked in the folds of his vast warm bed, Relena knew at last the peace most found in sleep.  
  
In the nights to follow, Relena could be found patrolling the halls, stopping for minutes, to hours in the room of her choosing. From cuddling with Duo, to reading over Wufei's shoulder, the tiny kitten found herself welcome in every bed, regardless of the hour. She spent much of the night checking on each slumbering soul, pussyfooting from room to room, assuring herself that all was right, all was serene.  
  
_Something bad is coming. I can feel it_. She paced back an forth along the ledge of Duo's window, pausing to glance into the snow, then continuing her vigil over the occupant of the room.  
  
What do you mean? Duo asked, glancing up from book he read.   
  
_I don't know exactly. I just- I know it's out there, and it's coming_.  
  
Duo shrugged, returning partially to his book. We haven't had a mission since Sanc, even the other pilots have been somewhat free. If you ask me, things are starting to turn _good_. Though scarcely more than a week had passed since Relena had come to live with this small band of pilots, the inner workings of their lives were known to her. Every message from the Doctors on the colonies, every Gundam's diagnostics, every tiny emotion was made clear in those big indigo eyes.  
  
_That's just it- the calm before the storm. Keep your eyes open, Duo_.  
  
Before he could even begin to venture a remark, she slid through the slight opening in the door and into Wufei's room. Though in the beginning, he had met her with the most hostility, in this short time, _Mab_ had grown incredibly on the solitary dragon. She hopped onto his bed, settling between his arm and chest with her tiny paws on his collarbone.  
  
Worried about something? asked the calm rich voice so uniquely Wufei's.  
  
She had to smile at that. Though not loved by death, the chinese man's intuition surprised even Relena at times. Without knowing who or what she was, without hearing a single word she uttered, he seemed to understand. Every movement, every look, he was the first, and often only, to pick up on it. _It's coming_, she said, knowing it was pointless to speak with him but feeling that to unburden herself with one who could not hear might lift the world from her shoulders. But as she leapt from the comfort of his warmth, she could have sworn she heard him whisper; Keep your eyes open.'  
  


~o00o~  
  


But Psyche, uplifting her finger,  
Said- Sadly this star I mistrust-  
Her pallor I strangely mistrust:   
Oh, hasten!- oh, let us not linger!  
Oh, fly!- let us fly!- for we must.'  
In terror she spoke, letting sink her  
Wings until they trailed in the dust-  
In agony sobbed, letting sink her  
Plumes till they trailed in the dust-  
Till they sorrowfully trailed in the dust.  
  
Heero shifted slightly beneath the dead weight of is koi, who had strewn himself atop him some time before. Sharing again a ballad of lost love and tormented angels, Duo had pacified himself with the steady feel of Heero's breathing beneath him, and the sound of his beating heart.  
  
Something's wrong, isn't it?  
  
Duo contemplated at first ignoring Heero. He would rather have listened to his deep calm voice read the lines of poetry so long forgotten- would have reveled in the sounds and scents of this love. He did not want to drudge up the subject hardly beyond the corners of all their minds.  
  
Nothing's wrong, Heero.  
  
  
  
  
  
Duo rolled off of Heero, sitting instead on the edge of his bed. Heero quickly drew himself into a sitting position behind Duo, snaking his strong arms around the other's waist. Resting his head on Duo's shoulder he asked again; What's wrong, Duo?  
  
Duo let out a long sigh, he would have liked to believe it was nothing- but after Relena's worry, he found himself unable to deny it all. Don't you think it has been a little. . . quiet? Too quiet? He felt Heero fidget slightly, something he rarely allowed himself the luxuries of. Obviously, Heero had been thinking along the same lines.  
  
he agreed hesitantly, knowing what this admittance might mean. I don't think we should worry, he added quickly. I think we've earned this little quiet- even if we both know it wont last.  
  
You're right, said Duo with another small sigh. Suppose we should enjoy the silence, ne? They lied back down, Duo resting his head on Heero's chest while he ran his fingers through the long silky tresses of Duo's braid.  
  
I replied- This is nothing but dreaming:  
Let us on by this tremulous light,  
Let us bathe in this crystalline light,  
Its Sibyllic splendor is beaming  
With Hope and in Beauty to-night:  
See! it flickers up the sky through the night,  
Ah, we safely may trust to its gleaming,  
And be sure it will lead us aright-  
We safely may trust to a gleaming  
That cannot but guide us aright,  
Since it flickers up to Heaven through the night.'  
  
Thus I pacified Psyche and kissed her,  
And tempted her out of her gloom-  
And conquered her scruples and gloom;  
And we passed to the end of the vista,  
But were stopped by the door of a tomb-  
By the door of a legended tomb;  
And I said- What is written, sweet sister,  
On the door of this legended tomb?'  
She replied- Ulalume- Ulalume-  
  


~o00o~  
  


Has it been so long? When was it that the child I used to be, the innocent, beautiful child, became this- this monster? Have I abandoned my heart so long ago that I can not even remember her? That light-hearted radiant girl. . .   
  
She stood before the long elegant panes of the window, as she had so many times before, only- it was different now- not the same window. Behind her, in the glass' reflection she could not see Guin, and Li, and her small, fragile brother. But they were not her family- not by blood. And blood- blood was what mattered these day, though not to her. Her own family- her _blood_, had not wanted her. They had been disgusted by her. Her eyes, her hair, her lips- all tiny reminders of just how she had been brought into this world. Unwanted, unloved.  


  
((Till the yellow-haired young Eulalie became my smiling bride.))  
  


You never loved me, mother. And now, you know what I have become- what you made me. No one will ever love me now.  
  
  
  
She turned her eyes from the window, one hand still pressed firmly against the glass.   
  
The delegation is preparing to leave, shall I?  
  
You know what to do, ototo.  
  
She watched from the window as the shadow of her little brother slipped past the door and into the night once again. A sad smile graced her thin painted lips, her dark eyes masking a sorrow all their own. When had they not been family- when had he ever known her to be anything but his sister, his caretaker? And when- when had he become the same as her? When had her veins polluted his own? They were all damned, she told herself. They were all monsters.  
  


~o00o~  
  


You're quiet tonight.  
  
Dorothy did little more than blink in response. Her skin was sallow, and colder than usual- dark shadows played around her expressionless eyes, making her seem as though dead, perhaps- undead. These days since that fated night in the throne room, when Shinigami had wrapped his clammy hands around her lover's life-force, these days had not been kind to her. She slept little, if at all. Her appetite had been less than usual, every scent and sight of food made her nauseous now. _Quiet_, was a bit of an understatement.  
  
You're not yourself,  
  
Than who am I? her words left her with more of a tempestuous sting than she had intended, but she cared not. For what did the perfect killer care for wounded feelings? Who am I!?  
  


~o00o~  
  


Time passed. New Years had come and gone, with Heero's quiet composure, Duo's antics, Wufei's scowl, Trowa and Quatre's blessed seclusion and sunsets, and of course, Relena's fondness for it all. In Sanc, she had not known people to be anything other than enamored and obedient of her every word. They were not real- these politicians and moon-faced girls. She was their porcelain sovereign, high on her tiny pink pedestal. Had she ever known anything real in that sunlit peaceful kingdom? Had the peace even been real? Though dwelling on thoughts such as these only left her with abundant questions and an ever bigger headache, she could not help but think of her lost country.  
  
The colonies, OZ, Romafeller- all had sent their officials to Upir, and all, thus far had been peaceful and only wishing to end this god forsaken war. Upir had been nothing but serene and beautiful- a saint. Doubts, once so resolved against her, began to fade within the hearts of the pilots- though all knew with Dorothy, lied some evil in Relena's far away home. Where that cold pale hand and long golden hair lingered, only death and battle would congregate. But what could they do? The doctors had told them directly not to waste their time when no proof of any allegation was brought to light. And though they all knew it- there was nothing to be done.  
  
Late in the night, as January's cold still blazed through the air on the wings of this Winter's winds, a small harsh and rhythmic sound came rasping from within Quatre's laptop, left unattended amongst the half finished drawings on his desk. Several minutes swam by in the kitchen below before the dinning pilots identified this muffled sound to be that of an incoming mission.  
  
Pilots 03, and 04 were to leave immediately for the Sanc Kingdom where a small party of representatives from Romafeller had gone missing. No infiltration was needed, just a simple gathering of information from several strategic points, and the destruction of an OZ base on the northern border. Nothing more, nothing less.  
  
_Funny_, Duo thought somewhat absently. _since when do the golden pacifist and the master of disguise get a *break in, blow up, and run for cover* mission? And why did Heero and I get that last undercover disaster?_ Though these thoughts perhaps warranted a deeper investigation, Duo was dwelling of a selfish gladness that this mission had not demanded the presence of Heero and himself. Wufei, also secretly grateful for more mission free peace and quiet, mumbled something resembling a farewell and good luck to Quatre and Trowa before retreating to his room, leaving the other four pilots to ponder this strange mix of assignments.  
  
As long as we're not needed on the battlefield, said Heero with his soldier's mask in place, we'll keep you covered with what information we can from here.  
  
Trowa nodded a simple thanks, but Quatre seemed anxious- wearing his worry plainly in his deep, dark eyes. Something's not right, he said quietly, locking eyes with Duo, having picked up on his own uneasy thoughts. you feel it too.  
  
Duo agreed softly, letting his and Quatre's silent counterparts wonder without words as they continued to voice concern. I can't put my finger on it, but- there's defiantly more here than we're seeing. He wore a small smile, despite the cold mistrust in his violet eyes.  
  


~o00o~  
  


You were right to worry, Wufei whispered as his door swung shut behind him, drawing the attention of the tiny cat silhouetted on the window's ledge. you saw this coming.  
  
_I did._  
  
Your words wont reach me, but I know your feelings, Mab.  
  
_I know_. She leapt lightly from the window, nearing him slowly. _There is nothing I can do- I am helpless to fight this battle for you._  
  
If we are strong- if we are in the right, then we can win. He knelt, lowering a hand to stroke her soft fur with an unspoken comfort in his eyes. Give what guidance you can little spirit, and we can fight this war.  
  


~o00o~  
  


Duo sat silently in a rocking chair before one of the many tall windows of the small library. With his elbows on the sill, and his chin resting in his hands, he stared into the endless dark skies of this night. A tattered book lie abandoned in his lap, along with a slumbering honey-blond kitten.  
  
Don't worry so much, it's an easy mission and they're more than capable-  
  
I know, Duo cut in impatiently. This just isn't right. Quatre felt it too, there's something wrong in all this. He returned with obvious disinterest to the forgotten binding on his lap. Have you found anything?  
  
Nothing to warrant any unease, Heero said from behind stacks of assorted books and the eerie glow of his laptop. He cast Duo a small smile before continuing. The delegation consisted of three high ranking individuals. Nicholas Robin, a politician known for his manipulation of public relations- Antonia Lexington, second in command of the current land mobile suit division, and Musashi Kino, your basic wealthy and powerful Romafeller minion. He paused, making sure Duo was still paying attention. They were scheduled to leave Sanc three days ago. They haven't contacted the foundation in more than a week, and Sanc is pertaining ignorance.  
  
Some tiny ember of Heero's words hung in Duo's mind. Some small phrase had roused his memory, though it lie on the tip of his tongue, he could not draw it out. How long was the delegation in Sanc? He turned to face Heero, letting his book slip from his hands and onto the cold floor. Relena stirred slightly with his movements, but did not wake.  
  
They arrived. . . His voice trailed off, a look of mild surprise playing in his eyes. a week after we did.  
  
With suspicion, curiosity, and paranoia back ten-fold, Duo was on his feet. Startling the slumbering Relena from his lap, he began to pace along the length of the wall. It was all so familiar- too coincidental. Why was it all ringing a bell? He bit his bottom lip as his mind failed to connect the dots in a satisfactory way.  
  
You said there was three of them? Seeing Heero nod, he continued to pace. And they were in the kingdom when we were- He spoke more to himself at this point, thinking perhaps if he talked it out, some vague link may appear. Heero, where were they staying?Duo waited impatiently before the window as Heero dug up the desired information. It was not long before Duo found himself standing behind Heero, with his hands on his shoulders. Patience, unfortunately, was not a virtue he had mastered.  
  
All three were roomed in the west wing. What is it, Duo?  
  
Did they have their meals alone?  
  
Yes. You're onto something, aren't you?  
  
He tightened his grasp on Heero's shoulders slightly. And they didn't attend their own banquet, did they?  
  
  
  
Heero turned to face him. He might have been the perfect soldier, but sometimes Duo's instincts and senses, having grown up on the streets and interacting with the best and worst of people, were far more accurate. He raised an eyebrow slightly, quietly waiting for Duo to divulge what he knew.  
  
Grey told me about them. He said they were demanding and had all sorts of odd requests. He was more than upset when they didn't go to the banquet. This is all connected, Heero. The foundation's representatives, the missions, Relena's assassination- I know it is.  
  


~o00o~  
  


I had almost forgotten how beautiful the Earth is. A tiny smile danced on Quatre's lips as he leaned slightly out the long gothic window. The quiet breeze and all the cents of the Earth twirled through the air- an air so new and fragrant breathing seemed something more wondrous than before. I think I missed these sunsets the most. There is nothing like this on the colonies. Nothing can rival this light as the sun illuminates the ocean where it meets the sky. I've never seen color like this. It's a timeless sort of perfection. I could never dream of duplicating this beauty with paints and pencils.  
  
It's so much more beautiful when you describe it though, when you are part of the scene, Trowa whispered in his ear, sending a delicious shiver down his spine. Trowa's whispers always seemed to have that effect on him.  
  


((Ah, less- less bright, The stars of the night))  


  
My words could never hope to capture this, Quatre sighed, resting back into Trowa's waiting arms. This was the truest kind of beauty. The sun setting upon the waves, as strong arms encircled him, keeping him safe and secure. This was a beauty few ever possess. A thing so precious he would fight, and die for it. A thing called love. I should be more focused on our mission, he said regretfully after a moment's silence. instead of the sea.  
  
It was hard to tear his eyes from the majestic sights beyond the opened window. Harder still to leave his koi's embrace- but there was a mission to be completed. As much as he wanted to savor the Earth's glorious sunsets, the little voice within his head knew there was work to be done, and would not give him a moments rest until an all too familiar phrase was spoken. _Nimyuu kanryou_.  
  
It was an odd sort of mission for pilots 03, and 04- one who specialized in infiltration, and the other in diplomacy. Death and destruction were more Duo's forte. But orders were orders, and these ones belonged to them.  
  
We should probably get some rest, Trowa said as he pulled the window's heavy shutters into place. tomorrow morning we'll survey the palace, and plan our attack.  
  
Quatre gave a slight nod, though rest was something he knew to be illusive when his heart still played this tune of disquiet and unease. He failed to shake his doubts though Trowa's calm and steady words of assurance had comforted him as much as words were able. There was something, some shadow- some ember- some restless whisper which cried to him, _this is not right_-  
  


~o00o~  


  
Helpless.  
  
Every fiber of her being shuddered violently as this feeling, and the frigid kiss of Winter washed over her. _Helpless_ was not a thing she could afford to be anymore. There was still the sting of harsh words in her mouth, and the unmistakable breath of regret within her. Bast had been too close- there were blades in those ruby eyes which tore through her psyche like no earthy weapon could. There were unspoken words which said and understood every emotion and movement. She often found herself wondering how someone with no knowledge of her past could know her so completely. Why did those dark fiery eyes penetrate her so perfectly?  
  
Dorothy could not remember a time when she had not had this feeling of venerability in the shadows of her heart. All her life she had been quiet, and detached. She had been the fragile child hiding behind her father's legs as he tried to introduce her to his comrades. When her father was killed, it was her grandfather- the Duke, who had twisted and poisoned the innocence and purity of that somber little girl. He bent her to his dark and selfish will- made her a tool for his own sadistic missions.  
  
He made her believe she was incapable of love- that her worth, her only purpose was to complete the tasks he gave her. She was trained to use every recourse at her disposal. Her mind, her body- she was beautiful, dark and mysterious. No one could resist her. Not even Bast.  
  
A small smile breathed across her frigid lips. A smile concealing her venom and casting a translucent sort of sincerity over her otherwise emotionless features. Standing there- motionless in her lover's gardens, in Winter's crying storm, Dorothy pressed her fingertips against her lips. The unfamiliar smile still clung there like honey on a midsummer's eve. Her heart reveled at the sensation of this smile, this honest portrayal of happiness. But all too soon, this serenity vanished- replaced by doubt and fear and anger. Was this in fact the thing called love?  
  
Had her Grandfather failed his own mission? She closed her eyes, pressing the palms of her hands against her shielded irises. She had never wanted Bast to get this close- to be inside her. Slowly, her armour was cracking- tumbling down. She mused that perhaps some secret part of her _had_ wanted this. She wanted to be free. Wanted Bast to set her free.  
  
You'll catch your death out here, koneko.  
  
Dorothy steadied herself before any signs of her startled tensing could be detected. This was the first time in years that someone had caught her off guard. Chiding herself quietly, she turned to face those bleeding eyes once more.  
  
Surly that's not what you wanted. Bast wore a playful smile, though the cold bit and tore at the exposed skin with feral daggers.  
  
You're not well, you shouldn't be out here.  
  
Come inside, koneko. This storm is not so forgiving, and I would hate to see you weak as I am now. The smile remained but seemed somehow, unnatural. The frigid winds and straining movements were seemingly more than Bast could handle in this wounded state.   
  
You shouldn't worry about me.  
  
But I do.  
  
  
  
Silence grew between them, threatening to shatter this moment like stained glass. Ruby eyes searched cloud-blue for timeless answers to unspoken questions. Those eyes seemed to see a world far greater than Dorothy did. Bast could find things such as hope and love and trust in Dorothy's glossy expressionless eyes- emotions others dared not even fathom within such a girl.  
  
Koneko, you still don't understand do you? Any traces of that smile, forced or otherwise had disappeared completely. Please, come inside now.  
  
With a simple nod, and lack of any spoken words, Dorothy abandoned the gardens and the storm. She allowed herself to be led back into the lush warmth of the inner chambers of the palace- but within her, Winter was fiercer and far more unforgiving than the cold of this storm.  
  


~o00o~  


  
Without the sounds of euphoric duets played upon violins and flutes, and the warm loving voices of those musicians, the house- however noisy and occupied, felt empty and all too quiet. Without the scents of meals cooking, and the unmistakable clamor of light hearted laughter this house was not a home.  
  
In Quatre and Trowa's absence, the remaining pilots kept to themselves- whether withdrawn by nature or simply preoccupied it made no difference. Meals passed in silence as they picked at various sorts of take out or a hastily cooked dish of their own. Within days, the dull and unyielding quiet was driving Relena mad.  
  
Still unable to shake the feeling of impending doom in the pit of her stomach, Relena found herself eager for a distraction no one seemed willing to provide. Wufei spent his time either with his nose in a book or his hands on his Gundam. Heero had taken to his laptop, typing away like a mad-man. And Duo- Duo was eerily silent. Relena often found him staring out one window or another, looking at nothing in particular, appearing astonishingly frail without his cheeky grin.  
  
_You can't keep pretending. I know you feel it too._  
  
Duo had curled up in his favorite chair. With his knees under his chin he tried unsuccessfully to disappear within the soft folds of the lavish cushions. What exactly is it that you think I feel? he asked in an impatient sort of tone. Turning away from those big indigo eyes, he warped his arms around his knees and buried his face against the crook of his elbow.   
  
_You know what I'm talking about, Duo. Stop acting as though you don't._  
  
With a long sigh, he raised his eyes to meet hers. You never give up, do you? With a ghost of his old smile, and another dramatic sigh, Duo was on his feet. Scooping Relena into his arms, he padded softly to his room where a discussion with the cat-princess might not be discovered. When the door was shut and secure Relena had at last the audience she desired.  
  
_Sanc is going to lure Romafeller into drawing first blood. If they appear helpless and attacked un-justly other countries will come to their aid._  
  
And with the foundation defeated, OZ would have no one to back them. In the chaos, the people would turn to the Dove of Peace- the ruler of Sanc.  
  


(Than the eyes of the radiant girl!)  


  
_She has them eating from the palm of her hand_.  
  
Duo began to pace. Seven steps- pivot, turn- seven steps- back and forth along the floor. We can't exactly call the _authorities_ on her- what's the word of a Gundam pilot against the leader of a pacifist nation? Seven steps. . . Romafeller'll be pointing all kinds of fingers since their men disappeared, Pivot, turn. . . but that'll just be seen as another one of their underhanded battle tactics, Seven steps. . . their accusations against the Dove will push the national public to defend her. They see her just how she wants them to- fragile, venerable. They'll want nothing more than to protect her from the Foundation.  
  
_So, what do we do?_  
  
Duo stopped halfway across the floor. Then, without warning, he bolted from the room and down the hall without even a backwards glance.  
  


~o00o~  


  
Everything had gone according to plan, hours of surveillance had left Trowa with suitable information pertaining to the security of the target as well as the guard's rounds. And now, as the sun lingered slightly above the horizon, and the crickets began their lullaby to the night all he wanted was a hot cup of tea, and the warmth promised by Quatre's embrace.  
  
After taking a long round about rout, so as not to be followed successfully back to the inn where they had been staying during the duration of their mission, Trowa slipped off his coat and slid his key into the old elaborate door.  
  
  
  
Only silence, and the dying embers of the sun's beams against musty windows greeted him.  
  
He reached to flip on a light, spilling the soft glow of the lamp across the barren floor. There was no sign him- no discarded coat or idle drawing left upon the table top. Nothing. Nothing but his own laptop sitting open on the night stand which read simply:  
  
Trowa,  
  
Iria was in an accident, her shuttle went down and they don't think she's going to pull through. I'm so sorry I had to leave like this, I'll come back as soon as I can.  
  
Quatre.  
  
It was so cold, so formal- nothing like the Quatre he had fallen in love with. Though concerned for Quatre, and caught off guard by the suddenness of his departure, Trowa knew what Iria meant to him. He had been closer to her than any of his other sisters. Trowa knew he could handle a mission of this caliber alone- Quatre had known that too, and so, his absence did not endanger their goals here. Aside from how much he wished he could be there to comfort Quatre through this, and the fact that he missed him already- Quatre's leaving had no affect on his current situation. Trowa would complete their mission, and then they could be together again.  
  


~o00o~  


  
Duo skid around the corner, running full-tilt into the small study where Heero sat, eyes glued to the screen of his quietly humming laptop.  
  
  
  
Whether from the panic or sheer volume of Duo's voice, Heero's head snapped up- instantly at attention. Without giving him the chance to inquire as to why he was in such an alarmed state, Duo launched himself into the other pilots lap and proceeded to type rapidly at the keys of the small computer.  
  
Heero, left somewhat speechless by the trepidation in Duo's eyes, as well as having the braided baka in his lap, waited patiently for an explanation Duo had better be willing to provide. Until then, he contented himself with resting his head against Duo's shoulder blade and trying not to think to much on what this all might be about.  
  
Holy shit.


	3. Sonnet Silence

III  
Sonnet- Silence  
  
  
The silver moon was alive with an ethereal glow of somber tears and death. Shadows rose and fell like earth-bound ghosts along the dew enshrouded panes of the long gothic windows and the smooth cold walls of this majestic palace. Night was a splendid thing to a being such as Dorothy Catalonia. Night was the translucent embodiment of all lying dormant within her. Darkness. Loneliness. And this moon, this crimson waning moon, reflected perfectly in her frozen eyes, was alive.  
  
She could smell the blood in the air.  
  
It was a metallic smell- something subtle but unmistakable. The scent of death. She had long ago become accustom to the invisible taste this dying blood formed on her tongue, and the tiny chills which bit at her spine as her senses recognized such a taste, but it never ceased to thrill her. Born and bred for the hunt- the kill. A being such as Dorothy Catalonia was in her element on a night like this.   
  
It was the triumph- the satisfaction. _Victory_.  
  
She found herself unable to deny this simple fact. She _was_ the hunt. Every drop of her trained and beaten body ached to give chase to the smallest and most insignificant of prey. Artimis, Greek Goddess of the hunt, must have felt quite the same. When all you have known is this blood lust, you do little more than comply with its wishes. And when fed habitually- lust grew to addiction, to life-force, to everything. Lust simply was not enough anymore.  
  
The air was soaked in blood this night.  
  
This night would come to be know as the first of a new era, of a new life. Dorothy could feel the revolution in this gore tainted air, the dead, thrilling air. Everything seemed new tonight. The Earth itself seemed to fill and burst with a sort of hunger and yearning for destruction and battle. Mankind needed this War- a War to rival all Wars. Dorothy Catalonia needed a War.   
  


~o00o~  


  
You're controlling her.  
  
Oh, but it is so much more than that.  
  
I don't understand,  
  
How could you?   
  


~o00o~  


  
Duo, what's going on? Heero's patience was wearing thin- and Duo had become as startled and speechless as Heero had been when the other pilot had some moments prior, taken up residence in his lap. a commanding tone- reserved for times like this.  
  
Duo did little more than breath, and turn the screen of the laptop towards Heero's sights.  
  
Holly shit. It was now Heero's turn to utter the phrase. He reached around Duo, typing hastily at the yielding keys of his computer. _How could I have missed this? This can't be happening again._ It was the same- too similar to be brushed aside as coincidence.  
  
Fool me once, shame on you, Duo whispered with a twisted sarcastic kind of smile. fool me twice. . . shame on me. His smile faded to an ill looking expression of self loathing and misplaced guilt. Red-eyed fucker fooled us again.  
  
This is impossible- Heero spoke more to himself at this point, gaze still fixed on the glow and scrolling information displayed by his laptop. How. . ? Confusion and frustration kept him from completing the articulation of another coherent thought. This left him with nothing but trained responses and the anger of a soldier scorned.  
  
The whole thing has been orchestrated perfectly. Their was no mission to the Sanc Kingdom. The Doctors never even contacted us.  
  
We have to tell Quatre and Trowa. Heero's more human senses were returning slowly though his mind could still not comprehend how the vermin had broken through again. He wrote a hasty message, reading merely; _03, security has been compromised. Report in immediately. 01._ which he then encoded and sent through a guarded line he hoped had not been _compromised_ as well.   
  


~o00o~  


  
You can't win, you must know that.  
  
Aa, but I already have.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Silence was like an old friend. A feeling, or rather- lack of, which he had become aquatinted with far too long ago. The stillness, the heavy air- things all too familiar. Growing up among mercenaries, never knowing who you really are, Silence is the only one you can count on to be there- in the dead of night, in the pre-dawn hours, or through an entire day. Silence was as much his comrade as was his mobile suit. But here, in this dark old hotel room, Silence was as unwelcome as a regiment of enemy soldiers.  
  


(And never a flake, That the vapor can make)  


  
Trowa had always been a quiet person. Withdrawn, sometimes even hostile towards other individuals. Since childhood he had been trained- a nameless soldier. And now, now that he had let someone get close, even given him his heart- now Silence and solitude did not suit him. He missed Quatre more than he had thought possible. Days had passed without him. Without a phone call, or an e-mail, without a whisper.  
  
It was not like Quatre to be so distant. Even when on a mission he had always made time to type a quick message or make an even quicker call, just to tell Trowa that he loved, and missed him, and that he was all right. Quatre had been anything _but_ distant. There was this dull crying pain in Trowa's heart, as well as a biting worry in the back of his mind. He hoped more than anything that Iria would recover and Quatre would come back to him soon. It was selfish, he knew that- to wish health on another so that his lover would come home.  
  
A shrill hollow sound emanated from his laptop, shattering the silence and filling the still room with the harsh noise of an incoming message.  
  
_03, security has been compromised. Report in immediately. 01._  
  
He wrote a quick message back, inquiring about the breech, and summarizing the progress of the mission, including Quatre's absence. He stayed by the computer, knowing Heero would be more than punctual with another order.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Why are you doing this?  
  
You disappoint me.  
  
That's not an answer.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Shame.  
  
Of all emotions, Shame was most potent, the most unforgiving. Love, anger, compassion, hate- all paled when felt next to a shame like this.  
  
She tried to ignore it- that gnawing feeling within her. She tried to pretend she was still an untainted girl, a girl with bright innocent eyes and the purest of smiles- so like the girl she had once been. She hurt more than anything for a chance to start over, to go back and change everything. She would have prevented her own birth if it meant dulling this agonizing shame.  
  
A pair of frail arms encircled her from behind, arms promising an unspoken comfort and understanding. Why are you so sad, onesan? asked the small accented voice of her little brother. He rested his head against her back, barely reaching her shoulder blade. He let out a quiet sigh and hugged her reassuringly. You shouldn't be so sad.  
  
And why is that, ototo? she asked in a playful sort of tone, trying to mask her sorrow if only for his sake.   
  
Everything has been taken care of, we're going to win this, He relaxed his arms slightly as he spoke, allowing her to turn and face him. you're going to be free.  
  
She rolled the word round her mouth like a child would a candy too sweet. _Free_. It was a concept too frightening and wonderful all at once.  
  
If we give it what it wants, it'll go away. The flawed logic of a child. We can be a family again, we can go wherever we want. Mama and Papa never wanted us to be prisoners like this. They never wanted any of this for us. He hugged her again, more desperately this time. We can be free.  
  
Yes, we'll be free.   
  


~o00o~  


  
And why do you fight, brave warrior?  
  
To protect those I love.  
  
You're nothing but a faceless battle-toy. A war puppet.   
  


~o00o~  


  
What do you mean Quatre's not with him?  
  
Heero scanned through the message again as Duo pelted him with questions. Trowa had responded immediately as instructed, but something was terribly wrong.  
  
Duo, track down Quatre's sister Iria. Check her travel records, and medical file, see if she was involved recently in a shuttle accident and where she's receiving treatment. He had lapsed again into soldier mode, handing out little orders here and there. Find Wufei, report what has happened and tell him to contact the Doctors, and make _sure_ it's the Doctors. After you find Iria and Quatre, I'll have Trowa abort the mission.  
  
Duo left without a word, leaving Heero to do what he did best- complete his mission.   
  


~o00o~  


  
You still haven't answered my question.  
  
What gives you the right to ask questions?   
  


~o00o~  


  
The scent of burning flesh danced through her chamber, filling her senses with a smell so uniquely dead one could never mistake it- but she did not pull her fingertips from the flame. Pain was much like a dream to her these days. So real- and yet, not. Hurt was a thing of the past. A thing for small children, and the weak. She secretly feared she could not die now, even if she wanted to. She was in too deep- losing herself in the quiet promises of ruby eyes. Eyes so feral, so deadly and lovely, so wonderful and frightening- eyes which held her captive. She was a prisoner, a bond maid, and the red-eyed one was her keeper. Freedom was much like a dream to her these days.  
  
It was a self imposed prison really. With all her hidden strengths and powers, Dorothy could have easily escaped her captor. A throat could be slit as effortlessly as booking a flight back to space. It was all within the reach of her fingers, but she was so afraid to grasp it. Afraid of what it might mean. Afraid of destroying the only thing she might have loved. But love was as terrifying as those eyes. Love was a stubborn beast- one could not bend her to their will.  
  
Do you know what it's like to close your mouth over the lips of a dying man and steal his last breath?  
  


(With the moon-tints of purple and pearl,)  


  
answered the soft voice in the shadows.  
  
I do.  
  
How long have you felt me watching you?  
  
Since you began.  
  
A small laugh escaped the shadows, followed by a shimmer of smiling eyes. Eyes the color of freshly drawn blood, of a midnight fire. Dorothy could do nothing more than stare into those eyes as Bast broke with the shadows and approached her- slowly, elegantly, like a tiger advances on a wounded doe, a pitiful creature with nowhere to run.  
  
Dorothy opened her mouth, as though to speak but was silenced as Bast extinguished the candle with a quiet breath and kissed Dorothy's burnt finger with a gentleness almost tangible. She was graced with a small smile and will to enjoy this silence as her hurt skin was captured completely by Bast's mouth.   
  


~o00o~  


  
_What are you thinking about?_  
  
Relena, with all her energy, curiosity, and resolve, had yet to unravel this mystery- the secret whispers that were Chang Wufei. She admired him really. Though his personality was often more than abrasive, and his shell thicker than even Heero's. Wufei had a softness about him, a hidden kindness and sorrow _Mab_ was determined to free. Through all his rants of justice and honor, there was a mourning sort of pain in his bottomless dark eyes. A pain he hid from the other pilots as well as himself at times. But she could always find it. It was there- in every movement, in every forced smile and even harder laugh. The hollowness of having lost someone you love. Relena knew that void all too well.  
  
She could not remember her parents, the Peacecrafts. Where there should have been memories of her brother, Milliardo, and her mother and father there was nothing but endless, dark emptiness. No recollection of her mother's smile, or her father's eyes. There were no memories of Milliardo trying his best to fit the role of her protective older brother' nor could she recall her home on Christmas or the scents so unique in every individual house.   
  
All too clear, were the memories of her foster parents, the Derlains. They had been so kind, so tender to a child who had not been of their own. It seemed both Relena and Upir had found more affection and love with families not of their blood. But where Relena could simply not remember such compassion, Upir had been denied it. They never gave her a chance. Losing the Derlains had nearly killed Relena. All at once her life had become something else. She had been the envied girl at school- the beloved daughter at home- and then, the hope of a lost nation. It must have been the same for Upir, she often mused. Plunged into a world of uncertainties.  
  


(Can vie with the modest Eulalie's most unregarded curl-)  


  
Did Upir hold the same lost light in her eyes? Was she just like the rest of them? Relena lost two families, as had Duo. Trowa was without a past where as Quatre's was often too close. Wufei carried so much pain- and Upir. . . was she so sad as well?  
  
You look so concerned. So worried for one so small.  
  
Wufei's words, though a distraction, were quite welcomed. Relena found herself getting lost within thought more and more these days. She worried about her kingdom, her brother, Quatre and Trowa. She worried for Duo- especially Duo.  
  
_You have all accepted your fates_. Had she been able to cry, those kitty-blue eyes would have rained a sorrow only a princess could guard. _You are true knights_, she said with quiet pride, though she knew he could not hear her words. _I only wish my own kingdom had not been the home of your impending battles._ She cast her eyes to the ground, suddenly ashamed of her very blood's origin.  
  
You must believe in your own sense of justice, said the black-eyed warrior with hints of a secret smile. believe in what is right, and true.  
  
_You really amaze me sometimes_.  
  
Though slightly baffled by Wufei's ability to read her as easily as one of Duo's cheep mangas, Relena decided thinking, as well as talking, was overrated. Instead, she curled herself into a small furr-armored ball in Wufei's lap. Content simply in listing to the steady sounds of his breathing and heart's beat. She could have stayed there forever- had it not been for Duo's sudden and exuberant entrance.  
  
Catching the hazy bewilderment in Duo's violet eyes, Wufei was on his feet- Relena cradled gently in his arms. What's going on, Maxwell?  
  
You might wanna sit back down, Fei.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Though unconsciousness had become a pleasant enough companion, the clouds began to clear from his vision, and the desperate nature of his current situation came scampering back- hitting him like a misguided bullet. He could feel the closeness of the walls, and taste the damp and dirty air. A cell, he told himself. He was lying on the cold stone floor of a filthy sort of dungeon.  
  
Without the usual harsh florescent lighting, or even the moon's friendly beams to guide him, he felt his way along the narrow barriers. Finding scarcely more than a sink, toilet, and four standard walls, he retired into a back corner. With his knees against his chest and his throbbing head resting against the cool surface of his tiny prison he let his eyes drift shut once more- his heart silently wishing hopeless wishes.   
  


~o00o~  


  
She was running- her feet keeping this terrible pace with the fear and despondent drying of her tears. She could feel winter's harsh kiss on her skin- feel the angry gnarled branches of the trees as they tore at her pale skin. She imagined the skirt of her gown must be ruined by now, as was the flesh of her legs, but she did not stop running.   
  
_It is all so familiar._  
  
The forest itself seemed against her. The weeping willows grabbed at her like a possessive lover, and the oaks she thought, were purposely baring her way to all that was safe and secure. She dared not turn to face the predator- even for a moment. She could feel those red eyes upon her without ever having seen them. They were always there- in some small hidden way. And now- now they wanted blood.  
  
_Like a dusty memory._  
  
She burst through the door of a tiny decrepit house, pausing only to shut the door behind her and lean her aching body against the unyielding wood. She gasped for air, pulling each breath in desperately as though it were her last. All at once, her breaths caught in her throat as the silhouette of a woman separated itself from the shadows. She was tall, thin and elegant. Her hair was tied into two braids with ribbons binding each end. She wore a simple dress which dragged slightly on the ground with each step. In her arms was a small squirming bundle, wrapped tenderly in cozy blankets.  
  
_Shhh, Uu-chan. You'll wake your brother_.  
  
  
  
Upir woke as a scream broke through her. It was such an unfamiliar sound- so hollow. Before she was presented with even a chance to blink, her room was bursting with people. Dorothy was instantly at her side, a comforting presence with the aura of strength power she cast. Several guards- she lost count after five- bounded across the floors, checking each window and corner for an enemy of tangible sorts. They were shouting, and fumbling over each other like spooked sheep.  
  
Are you all right? Dorothy's hard soldier's eyes searched the room along with those of the misfit guards. Some habits were harder to break than others.  
  
It was only a dream. She found her words slowly, as though taking great pains in selecting each syllable.  
  
As quickly as the room had filled- perhaps faster- each frantic body disappeared from her chamber, leaving her alone with Dorothy. The silence was nearly tangible, like a spider's web so fragile and beautiful shattering it with misguided words seemed wrong somehow.  
  
You need your rest Miss Upir. Try to get some sleep. Her words were cold, though she had not meant them to be so. Her body felt rigid, slightly off, as she turned to leave Upir's chamber.  
  
  
  
She turned again, her face void of emotion. Nothing but the hardness of her frigid eyes, and the straight expressionless line of her mouth.  
  
Will you stay? Just until I fall asleep?  
  


(Can compare with the bright-eyed Eulalie's most humble and careless curl.)  


  
Dorothy seemed frightened for a moment, a fierce chill biting at her spine. Without a word spoken, she slowly approached Upir once more, her soldier's motionless mask in place again. She stood by the bedside a moment, as though contemplating her next move. Upir, still sitting wrapped in the plum colored sheets withdrew several feet, leaving more than half the large bed open to Dorothy. Hesitantly, as though calculating each move, Dorothy sat down on the edge of the bed. With her eyes turned towards the floor, she spoke softly.  
  
What were you dreaming about? She did not realize at first that she had spoken aloud, but it seemed right, just being there.  
  
Things not quite forgotten.  
  
Dorothy nodded lightly. Upir had a way of replying to one's questions without ever really answering them. She heard the subtle sounds of Upir lying back down beside her. A little sigh as she made herself comfortable once again among the sheets. Every instinct her grandfather had beaten into her so long ago was telling her to leave, to return to the dark shadows of this moonless night.  
  
What do you dream of, Miss Dorothy? It had always been so formal between them. Princess and Soldier- though Dorothy was not a soldier in the classic sense of the word. She was an assassin, a blood thirsty killer.  
  
I don't.  
  
Upir moved slightly closer, her heart starving for human contact though her mind would not acknowledge its hunger. The simple warmth radiating from Dorothy's body was like a homing beacon- calling her towards the stoic girl.  
  
Going against every fiber of her being, Dorothy turned her eyes to Upir's. Ruby and ice met with a sad uncertain sort of intensity, as though they were seeing each other for the first time. The melancholy fires of ruby. The crying anguish of ice. At that moment, Dorothy knew that Upir was not the girl she pretended to be. She was not the Dove of Peace, the silent and yet strong light of a nation. She was a fragile girl, with an agonizing secret in her haunting dark eyes.   
  
Upir saw for the first time the uncried sorrow that was Dorothy Catalonia. She carried herself with this strength and power- an air of death. But now, in the pale light of the stars she seemed smaller, not so intimidating as she had once been. She looked like a lost child- though only within those cold eyes. If eyes are in fact the windows to the soul, Dorothy and Upir now saw past their pretenses and into the truth of each other.  
  
I dream of a past I cannot change or forget. Of everything I, sadly, have become. She spoke with ages of tragedy. With the conscience of a monster. I'm sorry.  
  
Dorothy leaned closer, captivated by the hurt inside of Upir.  
  
Because I can never make right all that is wrong by my hand. She wrapped her arms around herself, seeking solace from her own embrace.  
  
With every drop of logic and care drained from her body- every instinct chiding her- Dorothy lied down beside her princess, lightly brushing a stray curl away from those magnificent ruby eyes. She knew she should have excused herself, should never have indulged Upir's request for her to stay, but something in those sad eyes made her want nothing more than the somber silence of this chamber- this melancholy bed.  
  
I will fight by your side, I'll set you free. She did not know why she made this promise to the heavy-hearted princess, but in her slumbering soul, she knew it was right.  
  
When Upir woke to the harsh morning sun, Dorothy was gone- as though she had never been there at all.  
  


~o00o~  


  
  
  
Duo recoiled slightly, fearing Wufei might spontaneously combust. His nebulous onyx eyes had widened to the point in which they practically took over his entire face. His hands balled themselves into fists by his sides as he began to shake visibly. Judging by the solitary warrior's reaction to their present situation Duo figured he himself had taken the news quite well.  
  
Relena, still cradled firmly in Wufei's arms, shot Duo a worried look, verging on panic. _How did this happen?_ she asked in a breathless confusion- Wufei's expression mirroring her quiet question.  
  
Calm down Fei, you're scaring Mab. He waited for Wufei to mellow slightly before continuing. Someone's been in Heero's laptop again- in _all_ our computers. None of our recent missions have been coming from the doctors. They've been orchestrating our every move.  
  
It was more of an exasperated choke than a word, but somehow, Wufei was able to communicate his meaning. Met by downcast eyes, and slightly regaining his composure he continued; This happened when you were in Sanc- but, Yuy found the vermin's trail. How could they be in there again?  
  
Bast must have wanted us to catch their scent the first time. Wanted us to feel safe and protected against it happening again. We'd be looking for it now- we'd think they were beneath us, or had been sloppy. Either way we would have felt untouchable after beating them once. Look at us! Duo made a dramatic sweeping gesture with his arms. We never saw it coming. We were over confident, and careless.  
  
Wufei let out the rigid breath he had been holding. They planned this perfectly. Everything, from the assassination, to the mission, to the representatives from Romafeller. We're not dealing with the usual OZ dogs. His voice trailed off to little more than a whisper.   
  
I need you to get a hold of the doctors. They need to be updated.  
  
Of course.  
  
Duo turned to leave, but spun around suddenly. Oh, and- uh, could you feed Mab? A familiar smile stretched itself across his face, and without waiting for a reply he called out, Thanks, Fei! and was gone.  
  
Wufei, and the tiny cat in his arms exchanged knowing glances before it was said aloud, Baka- always finding a reason to smile.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Trowa was growing impatient. His visible eye narrowed dangerously, promising harm to the unfortunate barer of coming bad news. Heero knew more than he felt the need to share, that much was obvious. But how much more, and good or ill, was unclear.   
  
For several hours, he had lost track of exactly how many- Trowa sat motionless by the side of his unresponsive computer, awaiting further updates. As of now, all he knew was that Quatre was gone, Heero was hiding something, and security had been compromised. One thing on top of another which pointed distinctly at disaster- at one's worst nightmare. He did not have the luxury of feeling afraid. He could not fear for Quatre, or himself. Fear causes hesitation, and _that_ causes your worst fears to come true.  
  
There was only hope now. Hope that Quatre was safe, and very soon, this nightmare would draw to a close.   
  


~o00o~  


  
On the roof of the palace kitchens, where the misty, ethereal beauty of the Sanc kingdom lie before you in wondrous silken folds of nature and humanity, sat a small boy. His dusty blond hair fell in soft bangs over his pale eyes, as he poured over this magnificent realm that was his home.  
  
Above him, the stars twinkled and danced their ever changing waltz of the night, seeming to play among the thin winter clouds as though children among wildflowers. He smiled fondly, remembering such times of play with his sister. Closing his eyes, he could see her, so long ago, when life was lovely and simple. With her long red curls trapped beneath a thin summer hat, and a soft cotton dress shrouding her elegant form. He could picture her, twirling around and around in the flowers outside of their small cozy home, a cat at her heels. She was always smiling back then. When they were a real family.  
  


(Now Doubt- now Pain, Come never again,)  


  
_Come and dance with me, ototo_, he could almost here her calling to him. She had always addressed him this way, as simply_ little brother_. It was a name no one else in the vastness of the entire universe could call him by. He was her little brother, and she- his only big sister. His onesan. He had always known her as family, and she always would be. Family was forever, even when your family was not of your blood. Family was so much more than genetics- and in that, was their eternity.  
  
You'll be free, onesan, he whispered into the cool night's wind. and we'll be a family again. Wait and see. His smile faded into nothingness. Free, onesan. _Free_.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Upon returning to his room, Duo was quick to seat himself in front of his laptop, and bury his face in his hands- biting back an urge to scream and kill the closest living organism. While Heero and Wufei busied themselves with their latest missions Duo found solace in nothing but the feel of his hands pressed firmly against his eyes, as he drew in long nasal breaths. Though he too, had been set a task, there was too much noise in his head- restless currents in his heart. And the only cure was quiet reflection- or the death of an unlucky bystander. Calming his instincts, Duo opted for the quiet reflection bit.  
  
After several minutes of mere thinking and soft steady breaths, Duo was ready to get to work.  
  
Quatre was from the L4 cluster, and so the obvious place to begin searching for one of his many sisters was within L4. Duo began scrolling through page after page of recent news articles concerning those colonies, as well as publications from the Earth and the other colonies for such articles with mention of L4 or the Winner family- but each time, he came up empty handed.  
  
It was more than suspicious. It was downright freaky.  
  
The Winner family was known throughout space as well as the earth. How could one be struck down without the media having a field day with the exaggeration of stories and the pestering of remaining family members? It made absolutely no sense at all. Dead end.  
  
Next was the spaceport in the Sanc kingdom. A reservation had not been made under Quatre's name, nor had anything been purchased through any of his accounts- legal or otherwise. Duo found it hard to believe that Quatre had been carrying enough cash to purchase a ticket back to the colonies. He must have watched the spaceport's security footage for the morning of Quatre's disappearance a hundred times before he realized it.  
  
Quatre never left the Sanc Kingdom.


	4. The Black Cat

IV  
The Black Cat  
  
  
It had been the same, every night. And now, steadily worse. Like lightning galloping through the woods, coming to claim her soul. She could never escape them- those hungry red eyes. Nightly, they returned to her- in her dreams- coming to devour her. Every time she ran into the old weather beaten house. Every night the woman with the restless baby in her arms hushed her- Guin, how she missed her now, even just her dreamt silhouette. Every morning she awoke in terror, knowing that the monster was closer- and Guin was dead.  
  
My God, what have I done?  
  
Her own reflection disgusted her these days. She could not bear the sight of her own red eyes. Red eyes which had sealed her fate. Eyes that no one wanted. There were so many deaths on her conscience. Reflected perfectly in those empty blood-colored eyes, like so many beams of sunlight.  
  
With her hands pressed against the thick glass of the window, Upir stared into her kingdom. _Her_ kingdom. She knew she did not deserve this life she lived each day. She should not have been in this world at all. Nothing but lust, obsession, and cruelty had lighted her way into this life. She had been as unwanted a child as Quasimodo, the hunchback of the old stories on the Earth. Not a soul had ever needed or loved her. Though her life with Guin and Li had been a beautiful whirl of gentleness and care, she wondered if they had ever loved her as their own. They had a son- a child of their blood. They never could have loved her as they loved him.  
  
The familiar sting of tears pushed at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to cry them. She deserved no pity- even from herself.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Stolen away from the noise and bustle of the outside world- denied even the light of the sun, he had easily lost track of time. How long had it been since the red-eyed one had left him in this dank, dark cell? Days? Perhaps weeks. He knew and cared not. Hope was a fair-weather friend it seemed.  
  
His entire body ached, new cuts and bruises made themselves known along his pale flesh. What fragmented memories remained of the past days told him he had been attacked- questioned- and thrown into this tiny hole of a cell.  
  
As he found himself readily slipping back into an restless sleep, a sharp noise pulled him from the arms of unconsciousness. A noise like fingernails on a chalk board, or a blade scraping across a metal surface, or even the slightly magnified sound of a misguided key in an unfamiliar lock. He shook his head uneasily, dispelling the sudden race of thoughts gathering in his poor brain. He then waited simply for the heavy door to swing open.  
  
What greeted him from beyond the threshold at fist was nothing but more darkness. Thick, unforgiving darkness, followed by a glimmer of candlelight no more brilliant than a spider's thread. A simple thread, illuminating only a pair of ruby eyes. Eyes which seemed to feed upon the color of the surrounding skin, draining it until they were satisfied, leaving the flesh pristine and flawless as a dolls.   
  
Come to finish me off? he asked, an unusual birth of sarcasm painted across his words.  
  
Haunting eyes with ages of pain and sorrow locked away beneath shackles of fear and self loathing stared into him. Not the eyes of his captor- and yet, frighteningly similar. Same shape, same color, same deathly white skin. But these eyes were so sad, so hurt. Crying without tears.  
  
Who are you?   
  


~o00o~  


  
His body was begging him to run, to scream, to jump up and down senselessly- anything but this funeral march he made down the hallway which seemed to mock him by tripling in length. Each foot rose and fell with a calm, slow motion. Over and over, one after another, down and down. His inner functionings seemed to be racing. Thoughts ran through him too fast to be caught and made sense of. His blood pumped so fast and loud he imagined his ears might burst. And yet he crept, with precision and patience to his faltering destination. His long chestnut braid swinging behind him, marking each step forward as one he wished could have been back.  
  
Three hollow knocks sounded on the door before him- his fist falling three times onto the slick wooden surface. Prussian-blue eyes full of a soft, tired questioning greeted him as the door swung open. Eyes he quickly avoided as he spoke.  
  
They have Quatre. He never made it out of the Sanc Kingdom, Heero.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Most people found peace, comfort, purpose even, in the arms of others. But to Dorothy, these arms encircling her like this as she lie along the silken sheets of a vast and lavish bed meant a mission- a murder. An assassination ordered by her grandfather. An important politician to be seduced and eliminated in the cover of a dark passionate night. There was nothing comforting about this embrace. Even when these arms were Bast's.  
  
She felt Bast stir slightly behind her, no doubt waking from a deep and colorful dream. Dreams like Dorothy never knew, or at least never remembered.  
  
She dreamt once that she was in love, with a ruby-eyed angel. The soft red eyes of one pretending to be much stronger- wearing a selfless mask, forged to protect all that is beautiful and kind. She imagined she was happy and carefree- she was all the things her grandfather had stolen from her. All the things she never had the chance to become. She dreamt of things like fresh baked bread and twilight walks along the ocean's shore. Light cotton dresses and night's spent reading, or simply sitting by a warm fire's side. She would picture herself smiling, and meaning it with more conviction and heart than a wistful child. A smile she could almost see mirrored in those red eyes. Smiles of tenderness and love, and petal soft kisses that meant more than all the world to her.  
  


(For her soul gives me sigh for sigh,)  


  
She felt Bast's movements again. Warm lips pressing against the lobe of her ear.  
  
Are you sleeping, koneko? Dorothy felt a smile on those lips, still touching her- sending vibrant chills through her entire body.  
  
  
  
Tender arms tightened around her, slowly constricting like the deadly embrace of a large exotic snake. A serpent Dorothy thought must have red eyes.  
  
Why is it you never truly rest when I hold you? Are you still such a soldier that you can not drop your guard here with me? Are you afraid I might kill you while you dream in my arms?  
  
I'm not afraid.  
  
What is it then? Why do you never sleep so close to me? Don't you trust me- don't you love me, koneko?  
  
There's no such thing as love. There was no hesitation in her response. No pause of doubt or unease. She spoke as though she were merely stating the obvious- a well known fact. She freed herself from the serpentine arms of her lover, pulling her tired body into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. She wrapped her arms around herself in a subconscious protective gesture. You don't love me.  
  
Aa, but I do.  
  
I don't believe you. She stood, walking determinedly towards the door. And I don't believe in love.   
  


~o00o~  


  
He ran on without a care for his own well being. He noticed not the piercing sting of the winter's rain as it bit at the exposed skin of his face and neck. He quickly disregarded the aching protest of his legs as he commanded them forward. Nothing mattered now- nothing accept the protection of his fair-haired lover. As he ran, Heero's words played over and over in his tormented mind.  
  
_Quatre never left the Sanc Kingdom._  
  
His blood ran cold as his imagination tore free, swimming with images of Quatre's broken, bloodied form, lying at the feet of none other than the sadistic Dorothy Catalonia. A soft sob clung to his lips as he acknowledged the fact that he might be too late. He might not be able to save his angel from the blood thirsty fires which awaited them all in the end.  
  
_Bast has taken Quatre._  
  
And so he ran- making no stop in his reckless journey to the palace of Sanc. Heero and Duo had concluded that Bast would be holding Quatre there, on the grounds of their first fated meeting. All that mattered now was that he kept moving- that he reached Quatre in time- and that Bast's life ended by his hands.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Who are you?  
  
He watched as those ruby eyes drank in his words, tasting them, contemplating, waiting- as though not being able to provide an answer to such a simple question as this. They seemed to dim, and sadden further as they were penetrated by his curiosity.  
  
I am a monster, said the soft low voice belonging to the possessor of such melancholy heartbroken eyes. I need to end this, even if my own life is the cost of peace.  
  
I know you, he said in little more than a whisper. He could nearly picture the face surrounding those eyes. Recalling this voice from some forgotten memory. But his shadow adorned companion made no reply, allowing the bitter silence to cover them once more.  
  
Then he remembered.  
  
Upir. You're Upir Peacecraft, aren't you?  
  
I am not a Peacecraft. They never wanted me- and with all this blood in my wake, I don't blame them.  
  
He was left without words at this. Rising to his feet, and hesitantly closing the gap between them he held out his hand. Quatre Raberba Winner, he said with as much courtesy as he could gather.   
  
She slipped her hand into his. Upir Billie.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Without sparing a moment, or giving chance to hesitation, Duo, Heero, Wufei- and of course, Mab- were flying into the heart of the Sanc Kingdom. Bast had gone too far. Three representatives from the Romafeller foundation were still MIA within the kingdom- Heero's pride had been wounded- and above all, one of their own had been stolen away by the red-eyed demon.  
  
Though Heero had protested to the company of the cat-princess on this mission, Duo had given into her pleading eyes and demands- stowing her away in the folds of his coat. Relena had been assassinated for power in this game, it was as much her battle as it was theirs. She wanted to see the end of this nightmare as badly as she had ever imagined she could want anything. Her Kingdom, her lost people were at stake in this, as was the life of a dear friend- though Quatre never knew of her smiles and laughter reserved only for him. They were her family- these five Gundam pilots. She would not stand by and see her family destroyed again.   
  


~o00o~  


  
She pulled her hand away quickly, an urgency in her eyes- her dry, crying eyes. Follow me, she whispered, turning towards the open door of his cell.  
  
I don't understand. Why are you doing this?  
  
I told you, her words were forced and quiet. this has to end. She did not face him as she spoke. Her steps never faltering as she led him down the stretching dark corridor.  
  
But this battle- why did you begin at all?  
  
She stopped then, turning so that mere feet separated them. He could see the outline of her body- deathly frail, yet graceful and elegant. Like a doll.   
  
There is and old tale among the people here. A story used to frighten children into doing as they're told. It tells of the Cait Sith.   
  
They are rumored to be black cats, larger than most common dogs. Many hunters tell of encountering them among the wild of a moonlit forest, their blazing eyes, arched backs and erect hair silhouetted against the darkening sky. She paused, winding her arms around herself.   
  
Some say that they are witches, transformed into these monstrous cats. Others claim them to be fae, or the shape shifting vampires of Japan, The Cat of Nabeshima. A demon cat who murdered fair maidens and took on their form.  
  
I fail to see what you're driving at. Quatre shook himself mentally. The days without food and true rest began to show on him. He thought perhaps she were making perfect sense but understanding somehow eluded him.  
  
Wishing wells are said to be the dwelling place of damned souls. A sad smile tugged at her lips. When I was a child, I lived among servants here, in a small house behind the palace. I used to run into the woods and play while my parents were at work. She settled her eyes on Quatre, silently begging him to hear her tale. I got lost one day, finding myself in a clearing I had never seen before. I sat on the ledge of an old stone well and began to cry. 'Don't cry. Don't be sad, little one,' said a tender voice from within the well. If you help me, I will protect you always.'  
  
You saved it from the well. It was more of a statement than a question, but Quatre felt his grip on reality slipping, he wanted nothing more than to surrender to the arms of sleep and wake beside Trowa- finding this all just a bad dream.  
  
What I rescued from the well was a black cat. A regal looking creature with fiery red eyes, and fur soft as silk and newborn clouds. It told me that it could never could have escaped the well alone, and so was in my dept. She paused again, as though pulling at thin shards of strength- her frail body demanding more than she could give. Her health slowly failing. There is no single myth of fairy tale that shows all truths. Rather, bits and pieces to each. Like a puzzle.   
  
I found a damned soul in a wishing well, and like those stories of vampires who may only enter a home when invited, this spirit could not escape without my help. My invitation.   
  
When I was a child, a talking cat told me, if only I promised to be obedient, it would protect me always. I was only a child- and it wanted so much more than that.   
  


~o00o~  


  
AC 185  
  
The sun shone brightly upon the young face of the girl perched delicately in the sill of an old home's single window. Her hair, red and untamed, hung in thick curls around her face, cascading down her back in wild rifts. The sun's gentle beams caught in her eyes- eyes which perfectly matched her hair- as she watched a man, and a very pregnant woman descend the steeps leading down to a thin well traveled path.  
  
As they reached the last step the woman turned to face the little house. She wore a long shapeless dress with an apron tied around her waist, subtly accenting the bulge in her stomach. Her long raven hair was bound in twin braids, tied with plum-colored ribbons. She waved to the girl in the window, calling out; We'll be home for supper, Uu-chan, mind your studies.   
  
The man laughed softly at this. All work and no play, Guin? he said to the woman beside him. Do not forget to play, Upir! he called back to the child, earning himself a stern gaze from the pregnant woman, and a large smile from the child.  
  
You spoil her, Li, Guin said softly as she waved again.   
  
Do not, said Li with a smile as he blew a kiss towards the small girl. You're too hard on her. He twined his hand with Guin's as they continued down the narrow path.  
  
I don't want her to spend her life in a place like this. I want her to be free, and- She stopped speaking and placed a hand on her stomach. Seems your son is determined to _kick_ himself free.  
  
Upir watched from the window until they rounded a corner and she could see nothing but the unchanging trees once more. She slid sorrowfully from her place in the sun and settled herself on a rocking chair, content in reading a collection poetry Li had given her. She read of the unappreciated beauties of nature- the sakura tree and the rose. She read sonnets of romance, and odes to lost loves.  
  
Being a child, and well aquatinted with that infamous cat-killer, curiosity- Upir found herself restless, and unable to simply sit and read. Drawn by the friendly beams of the sun, and the promise of fresh scented flowers, Upir changed from her nightgown into a soft rose-colored dress and pulled on her shabby brown boots. Slipping her book into the pocket of her dress, she broke with the safe comfort of her home and wandered into the lush, beautiful forest surrounding the Sanc palace.  
  
She reveled in the feel of the sun on her skin, the sweet songs of the birds. The day was calm and lovely as she found her way among the trees, following the path her heart commanded. With every step her small book hit lightly against her leg, reminding her quietly of its presence.  
  
After countless moments, spent enjoying the subtle beauties of nature and all her wondrous children, Upir drew the book from her pocket, allowing it to open to the page of its choosing.  
  
I dwelt alone, In a world of moan,  
And my soul was a stagnant tide,  
Till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride-  
Till the yellow-haired young Eulalie became my smiling bride.  
  
As she read, she walked on, following blindly wherever her feet led her. She did not notice the change in the trees, nor the stillness of the air as she moved deeper into the forest. Only the sound of her procession, and the lines of the poem hung in the silent air.  
  
Ah, less- less bright, The stars of the night  
Than the eyes of the radiant girl  
And never a flake  
That the vapor can make  
With the moon-tints of purple and pearl,  
Can vie with the modest Eulalie's most unregarded curl-  
Can compare with the bright-eyed Eulalie's most  
humble and careless curl.  
  
A small frightened sound escaped her as she looked up from her book. No familiar tree or rock surrounded her. She turned in a circle, her eyes recognizing nothing but the constant blue sky peeking through the canopy. She had stumbled into a small clearing where the birds did not sing their tender songs, and the soft autumn winds did not rustle the leaves with rhythmic breathing sounds. She had lost herself in a cold unmoving place. A place from which she could not find her way home again.  
  
She spun around again, searching for some sign of home. Her movements caught her dress on a briar, tearing the soft cotton and the pale skin of her leg. She bit her lip, holding back small diamond tears. She crossed the clearing, sitting on the ledge of an old stone well. With the torn edge of her skirt she blotted away the blood slowly crawling down her leg. She hissed in pain as she aggravated the wound further. It was then that she lost her hold on the tears. It was too much- lost, hurt, frightened- she could not fight them back any longer. The tears came dancing down.  
  
A delicate purring voice echoed from the well. _Don't cry. Don't be sad, little one_, it said, startling Upir to her feet. _If you help me, I will protect you always_.  
  
Who are you? Upir found herself drawn by the soft throaty voice, like a moth to the flames. Resting her hands on the well's ledge she strained to see inside, through the darkness and onto the face of her companion.  
  
_My name is not for your ears, my child_.  
  
Though she did not understand how secrecy surrounded a name, Upir was too captivated by the voice in the well to demand such an answer. By the side of the well, lie an old wooden bucket with a long tattered string tied around the handle. Dispelling doubt, fear, and common sense, she lowered the bucket into the well. Sounds of scratching and struggling emitted from within, followed by a thump and a tug on the cord Upir held. Slowly, steadily, she pulled the bucket into the light.  
  
What caught her sight first was a pair of unearthly red eyes- eyes so like her own, and yet, different. They drank greedily from the sun, seeming to flourish and glow as its tiny beams twirled into the dungeons of each iris. As though life were returning to this creature with Nature's warm embrace.  
  
The eyes were surrounded by shadow, Upir, at first saw nothing past those hungry eyes. Their brilliance alone blurred and grayed everything around them. They were captivating, these unholy eyes. What crawled from the darkness was a noble and elegant creature, with thick soft fur the color of a moonless night, and the eyes which mirrored Upir's perfectly. This beast was not quite feline, with its elongated limbs and large human eyes, but to the casual observer, a cat- a very strange cat- was all it appeared to be.   
  
Upir sat back down on the well's ledge, struggling to figure out if she was in fact, still asleep. Nothing could compare to this monstrous cat, not even the demons of her darkest nightmares. And yet- she was not afraid.  
  
The creature settled itself in her lap, nuzzling her skin fondly as it sang a sort of soft purr. _You have given me life again_, it said in a low musical voice. _and so, I am yours. I will protect you always._  
  
And so it began, this hellish protection- this monster in the skin of a guardian angel.   
  
The Beast led her home, asking only in turn, that it might stay near. Upir would need only call, and this valiant guardian would be with her.  
  
Now Doubt- now Pain, Come never again,  
For her soul gives me sigh for sigh,   
  


~o00o~  


  
It started so simply. I rescued it from the well, and it brought me home again. All it wanted was to be near me. But I never imagined- Her words faded to nothing more than a disarmed whisper, a painful weak sound. She covered her eyes with her hand, steadying her breaths. In the beginning, I thought it was perfect. It watched over me, protected me and my family, and asked for anything in return. I was such a fool to believe it never would.  
  
It never told you its name? Quatre leaned against the cold metal wall of the dim corridor, fearing his legs might drop him. He blinked feverishly- trying to chase the fog from his eyes.  
  
It takes so many names. She stopped suddenly, as though struck by some unseen ember. Erlösung. It said if I must call it something, then it should be Erlösung.  
  
Quatre repeated the word slowly, letting his mind search for a meaning he could not quite capture.   
  
A small smile dared to cross Upir's thin lips. You speak German. Her smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. I knew not what it meant until much later, I still do not understand why it chose such a name for itself. I suppose I'll never know its real name- or if it ever had one.  
  
What did it want? You said it didn't ask for anything at first.  
  
Upir seemed to pale at the question. Her eyes lit with fear and shame. It wanted blood. The blood now on my flesh. Erlösung protected me- protects me still, but at the cost of many lives.   
  


~o00o~  


  
AC 186  
  
Erlösung, why do you stay with me? The child lie on her stomach, her head raised to meet the eyes of her guardian with her chin resting in her hands. All around her was the whisper of summer's soft wind, and the scent of wild flowers. The breeze caught in the tall grasses surrounding her, brushing the tender blades against her skin.  
  
I told you, little one, I am-  
  
You don't owe me anything, the child said, obviously already knowing the answer to her own question. Don't you ever want to escape this place?  
  
Erlösung looked thoughtful for several moments- red eyes seeming to look into another world, or perhaps into a memory. Only with you at my side, beloved.   
  


~o00o~  


  
It still thinks it's protecting you, doesn't it?  
  
She only nodded.  
  
Relena's death, the Romafeller representatives, this impending battle- it's doing this for you? To protect you? He did not understand. All this death for a promise made to a frail child.  
  
She shook her head ever so slightly. To avenge me.   
  


~o00o~  


  
AC 194  
  
She was running- her feet keeping this terrible pace with the fear and despondent drying of her tears. She could feel winter's harsh kiss on her skin- feel the angry gnarled branches of the trees as they tore at her pale skin. She imagined the skirt of her gown must be ruined by now, as was the flesh of her legs, but she did not stop running.   
  
The forest itself seemed against her. The weeping willows grabbed at her like a possessive lover, and the oaks she thought, were purposely baring her way to all that was safe and secure. She dared not turn to face the predator- even for a moment. She could feel those red eyes upon her without ever having seen them. They were always there- in some small hidden way. And now- now they wanted blood.  
  
She burst through the door of a tiny decrepit house, pausing only to shut the door behind her and lean her aching body against the unyielding wood. She gasped for air, pulling each breath in desperately as though it were her last.  
  
Her panicked sounds tore through the silence, startling Guin from the fire's side and the old book she had been reading.  
  
Shhh, Uu-chan. You'll wake your brother.  
  
As She hushed Upir, a sleepy-eyed boy wandered from the cozy warmth of his bed and to his mother's side. His pale hair hung in his eyes slightly as he rubbed at them with the back of his hand. he asked in a slumber dusted voice, the single spoken word holding dozens of unspoken questions.  
  
Go back to bed, love, Guin instructed with a soft smile. The small boy nodded, smothering a yawn with much effort, and disappeared back into the dark hallways.  
  
Upir's fear paralyzed her. She had not dared so much as a step since she had burst through the door. Her back was rigid against the cool wood of the door, hungry chills nipping at her spine with every breath.   
  
Guin turned to her again, her eyes deep with worry and concern. What's wrong Uu-chan? She reached to her slightly, recoiling as Upir twitched away from her hand. What has happened?  
  
This isn't what I wanted! she found herself saying before her voice could be halted. I never wanted this! She fell to the floor, her frail body wracked with uncontrollable coughs. Between each painful sound she managed to cry out, I didn't know, and- and it's too late now.  
  
Guin gathered the girl into her arms, comforting with an embrace shared only by mothers and daughters- even if there was no blood between them. Shhh, shhh, she soothed her quietly, letting her hands trace consoling circles on Upir's skin. It's never too late love. There is always hope.  
  
You don't understand. Her words were so soft, so fragile that Guin never heard them.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Erlösung had found my parents. My _real_ parents. I was never told how, but they were found. They had died years before, but Erlösung knew everything now. How they left me for dead- how they had never wanted me to begin with, and how before their deaths they had lavished every luxury on Milliardo and Relena. They were truly loved- while I was left to rot among the thorns.  
  
Erlösung grew angry, and vengeful. Nothing- nothing can tame a blood lust like that. Gods, I tried. I was happy with Guin and Li. I did not care for revenge.  
  
But Erlösung did. That is where this nightmare truly begins.  
  
Quatre pressed his hands against his lidded eyes, struggling to comprehend everything Upir had told him. He maintained his silence, and softly, she continued.  
  
I kept Erlösung pacified for some time, with assurances that I was happy in the life I lived, and that I needed no valiant redemption at the hands of this kingdom. A chill tore through her body, visibly shaking her with an untamed hunger. It wasn't until Guin and Li were killed- she bit back the tears. when the Sanc Kingdom was freed from the Alliance by a white mobile suit. She laughed bitterly at this. The nation's liberation set loose a fathomless evil, masquerading as my salvation.  
  
Guin died instantly- they say there was no pain. When the white suit bore into the Alliance headquarters she had been there. Bringing wild flowers to the sterile white building. She only wanted to give them something to smile about. Now she'll never smile again. I'll never see her smile.  
  
She could force the tears away no longer. She was too frail- to weak to win this small battle. They broke from her eyes and danced down her face like so many shattered heart strings. She wiped gently at her cheeks, wishing only to cast this sadness from her skin.  
  
Li followed soon after- though slowly. Painfully. They did not find him for hours- crushed beneath the rubble. He never had a chance. By the time they came to save him, there was nothing to do but pray.  
  
I nearly died that day.  
  
And Erlösung would be _pacified_ no longer. For a time, I wanted blood too. I wanted the Alliance- the pilot of that suit- the world itself to feel my loss. My anger, my hate only fed the Beast. By the time I had realized my error, it was too late. Erlösung was too powerful.  
  
Erlösung feeds off of you? Quatre's eyes grew wide, the feeling in his heart finally recognized. Upir was so fragile, so delicate- just the way the Beast wanted her. She could not fight back now. There was a transparent thread, like a puppets string burned deep in Upir's heart where Erlösung could draw power from her. The Beast needed this beauty for its very survival. Quatre could almost see the strength being stolen from her pale form.   
  
She nodded solemnly. I had realized all this the night Erlösung chased me through the woods. I wanted to be free again. The next day, the only parents I had ever known were dead. I did not need to ask for vengeance then- Erlösung knew my heart.   
  


~o00o~  


  


Koneko, the bell has sounded an the final battle- will you come or no?   


  


~o00o~  


  
Dorothy's heart was aching and burning with a ferocity she had never known- with emotions she had always denied. Still she stood, proud and still at Bast's side. She stole sideways glances at those red eyes, a secret wish, hiding from even her own consciousness, wanting to protect the dreams, and stand proud at the side of another.  
  
Was that the thing called love?  
  
She felt as though she were watching the scene unfold from somewhere outside of herself. As though a gray surreal dream. She watched the shadows dance mournfully up and down the royal walls as the faint sounds of movement carried to her ears. _This is it. _She thought with sudden fear- a fear she buried quickly. _This is my last battle_.  
  


(And all day long, Shines, bright and strong,)   


  


~o00o~  


  
Heero led their way down the long intimidating halls of Sanc's palace. Duo followed close, Relena snuggled close to him beneath his shirt. Wufei stayed back several paces, searching for signs of Trowa or perhaps Quatre. They knew where they would meet their adversary- The throne room awaited.  
  
Duo jumped at the sounds of soft breath just ahead. Heero reached for his gun before a quiet sound escaped him- a quiet laugh? He let his hand fall away from his weapon. How long have you been waiting, Trowa?  
  
Not long, a familiar voice said from the shadows, an even more familiar form breaking with the darkness.  
  
Heero nodded once. Any sign of Quatre?  
  
He shook his head, long bangs swaying with the movement. Heero nodded again, and continued forward, pausing only to let a reassuring hand fall on Trowa's shoulder. No words were needed- The throne room awaited.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Romafeller's men are dead- Erlösung wants more than this kingdom. Satisfaction will come only when Earth and the colonies bow to us, and not before. You have to get out of here. Upir reached to Quatre, offering a hand to guide him. I will not have any more blood.  
  
Quatre's movements were slow and pained, but he reached to her- knowing her body was weak and tattered as his. They started again, together down the path which led to redemption.  
  
There's one thing I don't understand, Quatre said with much effort. There were many things he did not quite grasp, but this most of all. Where does Bast fit into this War?  
  
I told you, Erlösung takes many names, she faltered slightly but regained composure. and just as many forms.   
  


~o00o~  


  
Dorothy remained still as the doors creaked open. The final battle was truly at hand. All the players were in there places, and the last act had commenced. She drew breath slowly, calming her heart with the steady rhythmic sounds of inhale and exhale.  
  
Four dark figures entered- right on cue.  
  
She heard Bast laugh with a feral hush, the long thick braid swaying with the sound- like the tail of a cat. A thin blade caught the light of the candles like a venus fly trap, greedily draining the luminous golds from each flame, glinting a small victory and lusting after droplets of blood promised by its possessor.  
  
Where's Quatre? Bast's head turned ever so slightly as one of the shadows broke the silence- a tall elegant form, face hidden behind a thick fall of hair.  
  
The golden one? Dead I suppose.   
  
At hearing this, Trowa's anger was set free. In a breath's time, his weapon was unshielded and leveled at the vermin god's head. He fired three shots, which Bast evaded with ease.   
  
Silly human, the braided tale swished angrily.   
  
The sounds of lightly squeaking hinges was lost on all in the vast shadowed room until a truly blessed voice tore the quiet. And though he cried with all his illusive strength, only tender soft strains poured from his lips as he called to his beloved.  
  
  
  
The said pilot spun around as quickly as the laws of gravity would allow- catching a pair of tired hurt eyes with his own. his voice was a whisper, a thin shard of disbelief and pure wondrous relief. He ran to him, catching the slight boy in his arms as the last of his strength died away.  
  
No matter, Bast's icy words cut through the precious moment. I'll have all of your lives soon. Even in the darkness, the sadistic smile in those words was felt.  
  
No more blood Erlösung- my heart can't take it.  
  
All eyes turned to the frail silhouette beyond the threshold- her arms wrapped round herself, drawing on the last of her powers- all that she could keep from the Beast. She moved forward, taking small staggering steps until she came face to face with her salvation. Small gasps issued from the on lookers as the two stood so close.  
  
It was so like a reflection- their bodies identical though one seemingly stronger. Their hair matched perfectly in color, though Upir's fell around her where as Erlösung's was tied in a thick swinging braid. Every curve, every shade was identical- accept for those of the eyes. The Beast's eyes were hungry- dripping with vengeance and madness, red as fresh blood beneath midnight's moon. Upir's were hurt, and soft. Her eyes alone told the tale of her pains and losses- her regret and shame, red as a rose's bud at twilight. There was a sad gentleness matched only by the sheer darkness of Erlösung. They were like pieces of the same puzzle- twin stars. Only Dorothy seemed silent without surprise as the two stared into each other.  
  
You will not be strong without death, beloved.  
  
Stop it! You're not protecting me- you're killing me! She swayed slightly on her feet, but held her head high, she still had her pride- and hope. Always hope. This blood is not for me. It's your own selfish lust that murders these innocents.  
  
Before her eyes could catch the movement- Erlösung's hand was on her throat, just tight enough to call forth a choking sound. This is all for you, my love. The hand loosened, fingertips toying with the flesh beneath them. It was Dorothy's turn to utter a soft noise of disbelief. Don't look so shocked, koneko. There's a reason your instincts never allowed you to drop your guard with me. They knew better- even if you didn't. The blade of the dagger caught what little light it could before Erlösung tucked it into her boot. You came to this kingdom to kill the dove of Peace, did you not?  
  
That was a long time ago, Relena was shot down by another, Dorothy chided, knowing not what to say. She relied purely on her training now- instinct locking away the frightened child which had struggled to come into the light these past months. Her mind and emotions raced beneath the surface as her cold mask let nothing but composure escape. Inside, she felt as though she might die.  
  
Aa, but there is another Dove- the _real_ Dove. The one who's identity was hidden away. The one who deserves the world itself. Were you not biding your time in this place? Waiting to strike her down? Her eyes were hard, burning with a hellish intensity. Answer me, koneko!  
  
Dorothy's mask slipped slightly.  
  
A quiet cry escaped Upir as Erlösung's hand constricted on her throat again. You are lying, koneko. _Don't_ lie to me. You were going to hurt my little one, I can not forgive that. Her hand slipped from Upir's neck and rose to stoke her cheek lovingly. Did you truly believe I loved you?  
  
This meant nothing to you? Dorothy asked, trying to hide the pain and anger from her words. You did this to keep me away from Upir?  
  
Erlösung turned to her, a mocking smile twisting her lips. Are you hurt, koneko? The words dripped with sarcastic concern. I needed your trust, I needed to know you before you could be disposed of. How could I hope to become you if I did not know your mind, your nervous habits, you hiding heart? She turned back to Upir, careful not to miss the utter devastation in her sad eyes. Oh, beloved- she never would have wanted you. Don't you see- if I became her, we would both be happy again, just like old times. Her smile was soft and dangerous as she continued to pet Upir's soft skin.  
  
You were going to kill her? You would steal her form and have me believe you had gone. You would make me think I was free? You are a monster. Upir tried to pull away, but Erlösung held to her.  
  
You think I didn't know why you look at her that way? You're disgustingly obvious my love. You wanted her to want you too- it's sweet really, the princess and the soldier. I would have made you happy like she never could. I would indulge your little fantasies of playing house- living a quiet happy life. Being a family. That's what you want isn't it? To have a family again? Do you think she would have given you that? Do you!? Her hand clutched the back of Upir's neck, pulling her face close. She dropped a chaste kiss on the princesses forehead. You never would have known. I would have made you happy again beloved. You would have your family, your bloody angel. She growled her words, unable to hide her feral, dagger sharp teeth behind her silky lips.  
  
A hushed whimpering sound, like that of an injured kitten escaped Upir's lips. The last piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. Erlösung knew Upir had been displeased with her form- identical to Upir's. Knew Upir was displeased with everything she was. The Beast knew of her feeling's towards the golden-haired assassin, even if she had scarcely admitted them to herself- And so, had concocted a plan. Thinking that if Upir believed Erlösung had set her free, and the latter had stolen the form of the sad-eyed princess's heart's desire, Upir would be happy again, and her salvation could continue to watch over, and protect her.  
  
The Beast knew Upir would be swallowed by the sensations of freedom and happiness. She would never know the girl by her side was the guardian angel she so rejoiced in the absence of. It was perfect. Erlösung would become Dorothy Catalonia- she would make her beloved happy once more. Then the world- the universe would be at their fingertips.  
  


(Astarte within the sky,)  


  
Relena could not believe her ears, though they were the most reliable set in the room. Bast, or Erlösung, as Upir had addressed her- it did not make sense, what was she that she could think she could steal the form of another? Relena found herself wondering what this demon's true form might be- it certainly was not the one she held now, she was Upir's replica in this shell.  
  
Heero, pinch me. As requested, Heero pinched the exposed skin of Duo's arm. Ow! Well, guess I'm not dreaming.  
  
I don't understand- what is she? It was Wufei who dared to ask the unspoken question on all there minds. It was though they had become part of the scenery. Upir, Dorothy, and Erlösung had completely disregarded their presence. This was not their battle after all. It was the princess's.  
  
Quatre shifted in Trowa's arms. Weakly, he began to speak. It's a Cait Sith. At least, that's what Upir called it. It's some sort of shape shifting demon- that's the only way I can think to describe it. He paused, taking deep rasping breaths. It thinks it's protecting Upir. It wants to atone for all the wrong done to her- to sit her on the throne of the universe. Everything it has done, the killing, the battle, it's all for the Upir.  
  
Shape shifting? Heero snorted quietly. Duo and Relena exchanged knowing glances. They could not really expect anyone to believe such a thing- unless of course they had some sort of experience. Wufei caught Duo's eyes in his own, sending him a small smile. Relena slipped unnoticed from her hiding place in Duo's shirt and padded softly over to the solitary Dragon.  
  
There are things in this world that are not easily understood or explained, Yuy, Wufei said as he lifted the kitten into his arms. To Relena he whispered, I'm sure you know that better than any of us, Mab. She nuzzled his hand affectionately, and they all turned there attention back to the battle before them. They were simply observers here now. There was nothing any of them could do.  
  
  
  
Dorothy stood still as her frozen heart. Erlösung- her Bast, was going to sacrifice her to the happiness of a princess who wanted nothing more than the _real_ Dorothy to want her. She ached to scream, to tear at her own skin- anything to loose the squall within her. _Upir wants me?_ Her mind poured over the silent question, returning to it at every moment of silence. She did not understand- why would this Dove crave the affections of such a monster?  
  
You couldn't be satisfied, could you? Erlösung did not try to hide the anger now. It flowed freely from her words and fingers. Her hold on Upir tightened again. All I want is to see you safe and happy. Have I not done everything in my power for your smiles? Why couldn't you stay in your chamber? Why could you not stay out of my way this one night?! I promise you would have been happy in the morning. I would love you as her, and as she never will!  
  
You know that's not what I wanted, Upir managed to whisper as a fierce cough tore through her frail chest. Please let me go, you're hurting me.  
  
Her plea was ignored by hate deafened ears. Look at what I have done for you! I made the people see you for what you are- for what you always were. You are deserving of the universe, beloved. You are not a servant- you are not the nothing your parents left you to become. I have given you the world! Don't you understand? I would have given you a family again. You and I, and your little brother, we could have been together forever. You are my queen, and you could be all the universe's. I will love you, and honor you- I will protect you. All you have to do, love, is go back to your room, go to sleep, and forget what you have seen this night. Erlösung's eyes pleaded with her, begging her to be obedient.  
  
I- I, Tears melted from her eyes, dancing down her pale skin. I can't. It was a simple answer, from all too familiar lips, but as the words poured from Upir and into Erlösung, a sound like tortured seraphs filled the air. Erlösung buried her hands in Upir's hair, pulling her against her cold body, and then- thrusting her away with tigerish intensity. A mangled cry burst from the fallen princess as she hit the hard marbled floor with a loud crack.  
  
Dorothy was ripped from her paralyss.  
  
You ungrateful wretch! Erlösung threw her words at Upir like daggers. How dare you defy me! After everything I have done for you! I should kill you where you lie you pathetic creature!  
  
Dorothy ran at Erlösung, pistol in hand. She would not break her promise- not when she finally understood what her words had meant. She promised Upir she would set her free- and so she would.  
  
Erlösung's reflexes were unsurprisingly quick. Cat-like, even in this form. She out maneuvered Dorothy's attack and landed a sound fist on her jaw- knocking the weapon from Dorothy's grasp with her free hand. She counter attacked with lightning's pace, grasping Dorothy by the neck and pulling the hungry blade from her boot, allowing it to loom dangerously close to one of Dorothy's cloudy eyes.  
  
All at once, Erlösung felt a light weight impact across her shoulder blade. The blow was strong enough to cause her a moment of unstableness which Dorothy used to escape her hold. Erlösung turned, fire in her eyes- beholding her attacker. A small boy stood mere feet behind her, holding Lord Peacecrafts scepter, once a decoration in the lavish throne room, but to the boy- a formable weapon. No one heard his movements, or knew how long he had been crouched in the shadows of the vast shadow inhabited room.  
  
Leave her alone, you wanted blood and you got it. Set her free. The small accented voice carried though the air. He stood proudly, though his form was less than intimidating- he would not be ignored.  
  
Duo's voice sounded unfamiliar in his own ears. Meek and helpless.   
  
The boy turned to him slightly. Ello, Inan. His words were sad, filled with regret. I'm sorry- I never thought it would go this far.  
  
Oh, ototo, Erlösung frowned mockingly.   
  
Don't call me that! he snapped. You may look like her, but you are not my sister.  
  
Erlösung grinned, soft lips curling back maliciously to reveal her ruthless teeth. That's not what you said when I asked you to murder the Dove for me.  
  
Duo's eyes shot from Grey to the kitten cradled in Wufei's arms. Her eyes were wide and scared as his. Grey lowered his head, staring at the floor with shame plainly lit on his features.  
  
I- I didn't know, I, He looked to his sister, still lying where she had fallen. I thought she was you, I- didn't know.  
  
I believe the braided baka, Erlösung tilted her head, motioning across the room to Duo. Owes a few bullet wounds to you as well my dear little brother.  
  
Duo drew in a sharp breath. It was you? His hands ghosted their way to the scars still evident on his chest. In the clinic, when I was shot- He turned his eyes to Heero, hoping for some sort of comfort. He did not get any. Heero was as shocked and betrayed as Duo.   
  
I'm sorry, Inan. I thought only for the best. She said you were going to hurt Upir. She told me you would expose her, and- and- send her away. She said I'd never see her again! I didn't want to hurt you. . . Please, believe me!  
  
Duo was speechless- all he could do was offer a slight nod, and let his tormented thoughts run circles around his mind.  
  
Enough! I grow tired of you, ototo, Erlösung lunged at the boy, catching him by the arm and pulling him close. Without hesitation, or a spared glance at Upir, she buried her teeth in the soft flesh of his throat. He did not cry out- he did not make a sound at all as he crumpled to the floor.  
  
Upir reached towards him, knowing already that she could not save him. She burst into hysterical tears, harsh coughs and sobs tearing through her. she whispered his name through her agony. Erlösung kicked his body aside as though it were nothing more than a simple obstruction to the pristine beauty of the room. She flipped the dagger around in her hand as Upir tried in vain to rise to her feet.  
  
Stay down, you will only cause yourself unnecessary pain, love. Erlösung took a determined step towards the fallen angel. You know I didn't want it to be this way. I you had only listened, She crouched beside Upir, stroking the dagger down the side of her lips. A thin rivulet of blood dripped down Upir's chin and onto the pale skin of her neck. It clung to the dagger like a lover, shrouding the thin blade with this crimson life.  
  


(While ever to her dear Eulalie upturns her matron eye-)  


  
Dorothy pushed her fear and uncertainties aside. She would not break her promise. She had been trained for this moment- this battle. This was her battle like none other had been before. She had fought on order, on command- never for herself. But now, as she watched the Beast lean over Upir and kiss the blood from her torn lips, Dorothy knew at last what she must fight for. For Upir, if no one else.  
  
She tackled Erlösung, sending them both rolling away from where Upir lie, helpless in a tangle of long red tresses and pale silk skirts.  
  
Erlösung wore her shock unmasked as she fought with Dorothy for dominance of the yearning blade between them. Dorothy heard herself cry out as the dagger bit the skin of her arm. With all of her strength, she twisted so that she lied on top of Erlösung, there faces mere inches apart. She grasped the dagger so hard, her hand bled.  
  
I once thought that I might love you, she whispered against Erlösung's ear. But now I know, She pressed the blade into the flesh above her heart, penetrating slowly. You deserve to die- by my hand, and with her blood. She pressed the iron further, Upir's blood- still clinging to the blade disappeared within Erlösung's chest and into her heart.  
  
Erlösung withered beneath her, an inhuman sound rupturing from her lips as she began to change- slowly at first, then with rage and thunder. The same sound poured from Upir's lips, though softer and with greater hurt.  
  
Dorothy stood, revealing the lifeless form of a large black cat- red eyes staring blankly at the skies. She wasted no time savoring her kill, her victory. She ran to Upir's side, kneeling beside the still form of her princess. She reached a hand to her, softly caressing her pale cheek.   
  
Upir's eyes fluttered slightly, falling closed once more as she drew in a ragged breath. she pulled another breath through her broken lips. I- I,  
  
Dorothy pressed her thumb lightly to Upir's bleeding lips, her hand still caressing her cheek.   
  
A ghost of a smile crossed those lips, a slight sound of comforting laughter twirling in the air. You're always there to soothe me, She coughed violently, more blood gathering on her mouth. When do I get to soothe you? When do I rock you to sleep? Lullaby, sweet Dorothy, my angel dressed in blood. Her smile faded as her head fell to the side, a small pool of blood gathering beneath her- running through her hair and staining the light fabric of her gown.  
  
  
  
She gave her only silence.  
  
Dorothy ran her hand down the still face of her Dove, reaching her neck and searching desperately for a pulse. Somebody help her! Her voice was frightened- such an unfamiliar emotion to a girl like Dorothy Catalonia. Upir! Open your eyes!


	5. Epilogue To One in Paradise

Epilogue  
To One in Paradise  
  
Time seemed to fly in the following months. The murder of the Romafeller representatives was believed by the public to be a terrorist plot to pit the world against the Sanc Kingdom- as Erlösung had known, no one would blame the Dove of Peace. Especially since the Dove's wings had been torn, and was now earthbound like everyone else.  
  
Erlösung's body was cast into the deepest wishing well in all the kingdom.  
  
Quatre healed quickly, with Trowa constantly watching over him of course. Soon he told the other pilots, and Relena, Upir's sad tale of loss and salvation at the hands of the Beast. For many nights, Relena cried herself to sleep, curled against the comforting warmth of Wufei's body.  
  
As the Earth and outer space heard of Upir's battle, a temporary sort of peace settled over all nations. A peace, though thin and fragile, the Gundam's would fight to protect. Soon all hearts hoped for a true and lasting peace. They feared only that Upir might never see what her burdens and blood had created. It seemed so awfully unjust that yet another Dove would never know a world without War.  
  
Upir lied in a sterile white bed, the rhythmic sounds of machinery surrounding the calm, quiet beat of her heart. She looked so peaceful- as though at any moment her eyes might flutter open, and she would smile, waking from a quiet slumber filled with beautiful dreams.  
  


(While ever to her young Eulalie upturns her violet eye.)  


  
She did not move- her eyes did not open.  
  
And only under the constant vigil of her angel did she seem to dream at all. A melancholy dream of things that never had the chance to be. A bleeding, crying little girl, and a princess with sad red eyes, living happily ever after.  
  


  
The End  
  


i hope you have enjoyed part two of the Fated Storms Arc. i'm toying with the idea of another story, focusing mainly on Dorothy and Upir- what do you think? i love getting comments and ideas, so don't be shy, e.mail me!   
  


nataku@elfwood.zzn.com  
  


disclaimer: i, of course, own nothing. i'm just the luckless writer. Gundam belongs to some _very_ lucky people, and the poem, Eulalie- A Song, was written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1845. All other poems used in the story are also works of Edgar Allan Poe.


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